North Queensland coach Paul Green has indicated he will follow Des Hasler's lead and rule his players out of next Sunday's City-Country Origin match.
The Cowboys play Canterbury four days after the Mudgee clash, leading to fears over player welfare.
And while Hasler's decision to make his players unavailable for selection received widespread criticism, Green said he supported the Bulldogs mentor and could follow suit.
"We're playing the Bulldogs, so if he's (Hasler) doing it, I've got every right for me to want to have the best preparation possible also,'' Green told News Corp Australia.
The Bulldogs were far more likely to be impacted by the match had players been available.
Second-rower Josh Jackson aired his disappointment over being unable to play in front of his home region during the week, while Adam Elliott would likely have come into contention for Country.
However Cowboys centre Kane Linnett made his representative debut for Country last season.
Green's issues with the fixture - which will be cut after this year - centre around its lack of credibility as a real State of Origin trial and the preference representative football is given above club sides.
He also argued that players wouldn't be available to train properly with the Cowboys until next Wednesday - the eve of the Bulldogs' clash.
Canberra coach Ricky Stuart also suggested during the week he would protect his players from selection during the week, despite them not playing Newcastle until the following Sunday.
But after Saturday night's 16-10 loss to the Bulldogs, he said he was undecided if they would be made available.
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