State of Origin was the last thing on Daly Cherry-Evans' mind after Manly's shattering 24-14 NRL loss to Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.
And it seems Sea Eagles teammate and NSW hopeful Tom Trbojevic won't be contemplating Origin any time soon after suffering potentially season-ending knee and ankle injuries.
The Manly-Brisbane clash on Saturday night was billed as a Queensland Origin audition for Cherry-Evans and Broncos playmaker Anthony Milford.
But the focus soon changed to form Manly fullback Trbojevic after he fell awkwardly trying to catch a 67th-minute bomb and was helped off the field with his Origin dream - and possibly season - in tatters.
Scans on Monday will reveal the full extent of the injuries but Manly coach Trent Barrett feared the worst.
"He could be gone for the year, I don't know," he said.
"The ankle is the main concern. He's pretty badly hurt."
Trbojevic had all but secured the Blues No.1 jersey with a rampant first half display that gifted Manly a 14-0 lead after nine minutes.
Cherry-Evans couldn't hide his disappointment for his teammate.
"Everyone was concerned," he said.
"To see a teammate go down injured is not ideal, especially one of our more influential players - it is disappointing to see."
Broncos flyer David Mead legally tackled Trbojevic in the air because Brisbane rake Andrew McCullough's kick had already bounced but Barrett believed referees should have used discretion and penalised Brisbane.
"It's dangerous. It has not only cost us the game, it has cost us one of our best players," Barrett said.
"A bit of common sense would be good I suppose."
To add further insult, Brisbane scooped up the ball a distressed Trbojevic spilt to set up winger Corey Oates' opening try in the 64th minute.
By the time Oates had crossed for his second, Brisbane had scored three times in 11 minutes to blow out the scoreline.
Queensland coach Kevin Walters ran the rule over Cherry-Evans and Milford as he contemplated a potential replacement for injured playmaker Johnathan Thurston.
And Cherry-Evans impressed from the outset on Saturday night, sending Trbojevic to the line in just the second minute.
But the No.7 didn't want to contemplate whether he would add to his six Origins - and first since 2015 - after the loss.
"Origin is not a thought or an afterthought even," Cherry-Evans said.
"I have answered a lot of questions about Origin the last week.
"Right now is not the time to indulge in that sort of question.
"It's a bit disappointing that loss. It's too fresh to be talking about myself."
Barrett hoped Cherry-Evans, bench prop Nate Myles (Queensland) and Jake Trbojevic would receive the Origin call.
"I hope we get a few players in the Origin sides - they will all handle it," he said.
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