The heavy schedules of NSW's State of Origin stars could be the least of coach Ricky Stuart's worries, with an injury crisis brewing - headed by centre Will Hopoate.

Debutant Hopoate will miss Origin III with a grade two hamstring tear suffered in the Blues' 18-8 victory at ANZ Stadium on Wednesday night which is set to sideline the 19-year-old for six weeks.

Hopoate was a shock inclusion at left centre for Origin II after Michael Jennings injured his ankle.

Stuart backed the Manly teenager but at the time also bemoaned a lack of depth in the position with St George Illawarra centre Matt Cooper's retirement from representative football and Wests Tigers star Chris Lawrence's serious hip injury.

Jennings will miss another month of football, ruling him out of a return for game three, and just who Stuart turns to will be a massive talking point heading into the July 6 decider at Suncorp Stadium.

Cooper rejected a pre-series SOS to come out of retirement, Canterbury's Josh Morris has failed to hit top form and Stuart has said he won't pick Bulldogs giant Jamal Idris out of position on the left side.

Left winger Jarryd Hayne may need to be considered, with the man he replaced from game one Brett Morris likely to have recovered from his hamstring problem and able to take his place on the wing, while backrower Luke Lewis is another makeshift possibility.

Hopoate, who will leave the NRL next season on a two-year Mormon mission, looked right at home in Origin, scoring a miraculous diving try in the corner before limping off the field in the second half.

Manly coach Des Hasler said the 19-year-old was upbeat after the Blues win, but disappointed he had not come through the game injury-free.

"Obviously he's in good spirits the way the side performed and the way he performed," Hasler said.

"We always maintained he wouldn't be out of place in that environment and that game but I know he's very disappointed about having to come off.

"No one in this organisation had any doubts - he's a footballer and a special one.

"It's a bit of a blow for the young fella, it's a bit of a blow for the team but that's Origin, isn't it?"

Dragons backrowers Ben Creagh and Beau Scott are also in doubt for the Blues' attempt to stem Queensland's five-year series winning streak.

Stuart's much talked-about tactic of playing six mobile backrowers could be hit hard if the pair, both expected to be sidelined for 2-3 weeks, fail to recover in time.

At the least, it is not expected they will play again before the Suncorp Stadium clash after Creagh suffered an ankle injury and Scott medial ligament damage and a perforated eardrum.

Lewis will miss Penrith's NRL clash with Newcastle on Saturday with a hamstring niggle but is not in doubt for Origin III.

Stuart controversially called on his players to step down from their round 16 club games to ensure the best possible preparation for the decider, but several players could now miss those games with injury.

NSW, meanwhile, are taking plenty out of the victory as they desperately look to prevent a sixth straight series loss.

"It adds a lot of confidence," utility Kurt Gidley said.

"We were close in game one but no one really cares if you're close or not.

"No one will worry about how much effort or who played well on the night, everyone only worries about the winner."

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