Queensland have played down fitness concerns for Johnathan Thurston after the playmaker eased his way through their opening training session nursing a hip complaint.

Thurston avoided contact work but took part in the rest of the first session under new Queensland coach Kevin Walters at their Gold Coast camp on Thursday.

“Obviously he is a little bit restricted but we are a long way from game time and the fact that he is out on the field at this time of the preparation is a good sign,” Maroons assistant Billy Slater said ahead of the June 1 series opener.

Rookie winger Corey Oates has also stopped using a heart monitor as a precaution after missing the second half of Brisbane’s NRL loss to North Queensland last Friday night due to dizzy spells and an irregular heart beat.