Morris cleared but still facing NSW axe - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Morris cleared but still facing NSW axe

Steve Jancetic 02/06/2011 01:10:36 PM Comments (0)

St George Illawarra officials insist Brett Morris will be fit to take on Queensland in State of Origin II but NSW coach Ricky Stuart appears unlikely to take a punt on the flying winger.

Morris' Origin hopes nosedived earlier this week on the back of reports he had been ruled out for up to three weeks, after straining his hamstring in Sunday's NRL win over Wests Tigers, with speculation Parramatta superstar Jarryd Hayne would win a Blues recall for the June 15 rematch at ANZ Stadium.

But Dragons performance director Jeremy Hickmans on Thursday revised the initial rehabilitation period, claiming Morris - who had struggled to rediscover his try-scoring prowess this season - would be available for selection when Stuart named his squad on Sunday.

"He's got a small hamstring tear," Hickmans said on Thursday.

"At the moment, we're saying he's available for Origin. If we were playing in a couple of weeks, he'd probably be back at that point.

"It's just dependant on what the selectors want to do with him with training."

Asked when he would be right to resume full training if he was retained by the Blues, who go into camp on Monday, Hickmans said:

"He started training lightly with us this morning. He'd probably be training by mid to end next week depending on how it responds to treatment."

That scenario would hardly be to Stuart's liking, given he would want to have all his players training from the get-go, as NSW looked to avoid going down 2-0 for a sixth straight series loss.

Morris was already believed to be under pressure to retain his position, after committing a howler in gifting a try to Maroons winger Jharal Yow Yeh in the series opener, a match which saw his Origin try-scoring drought stretch to a fourth game.

While Morris' prognosis appears relatively bright, the same can't be said for left edge partner Matt Cooper, who will undergo surgery on Friday to repair fractures in his eye socket, cheekbone and hand, with his rehabilitation estimated at four to six weeks.

Cooper suffered the triple whammy in the space of seconds against the Tigers, with the facial injury coming in a tackle on hooker Robbie Farah.

With Origin commitments already leaving a host of players drained, and outside backs Kyle Stanley (hamstring), Bronx Goodwin (knee) and Nick Emmett (back) also unavailable, the Dragons are running short on depth out wide.

Former dual international Wendell Sailor has been a regular at training in recent weeks, while Reece Simmonds - who last played for South Sydney after five years with the Dragons - has been signed as cover for the rest of the season.

Simmonds has been playing in the local Illawarra competition over the past few years, and is expected to be available for selection for next week's clash with Gold Coast.

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