Queensland rugby league immortal Wally Lewis has endorsed Cameron Munster to fill the No.6 jersey of Johnathan Thurston in next month's State of Origin decider.
Lewis on Friday identified the battle for Thurston's five-eighth spot as a two-horse race between Michael Morgan and Munster, after the champion playmaker was ruled out for the season.
The injury blow means the 34-year-old has played his last Origin for the Maroons, having previously announced 2017 would be his final year of representative football.
Thurston's original replacement for game one, Anthony Milford, is also out with an arm injury.
And Lewis, who played 32 of his 34 Origins for Queensland in the No.6 jersey, said the temptation of an all-Melbourne spine for selectors would weigh heavily in Munster's favour.
"We keep talking about the 'awesome foursome' (of Billy Slater, Thurston, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith) in the build-up to last week's game," Lewis told AAP.
"We were talking about the blokes who play together so much for Queensland and work together so well.
"Well, here's a bloke that has been playing in the Melbourne Storm jersey with these other blokes consistently.
"He would have played more games alongside the other three than JT did."
Munster was Queensland's 18th man for their game-two win in Sydney, and Maroons coach Kevin Walters said he had impressed staff and players in training.
If he was to be picked in the No.6 jersey, alongside Slater, Cronk and Smith, it would mark Origin's first full club spine since Brisbane dominated the Maroons' side in game two of 1994.
"It's probably a little bit of a benefit for him in that area," Lewis said.
"I'm sure they'd pick him, knowing what sort of communication that they've got on board.
"And he's been in good form this year - he's been very good."
Lewis also said Morgan deserved to be in the conversation for the five-eighth role, but worried his versatility worked against him.
He has come off the bench in all six of his Origin appearances, and set up the match-winning try in Wednesday night's 18-16 win in Sydney.
"Perhaps his worst enemy in gaining selection has been his ability to come off the bench and fill so many roles quite comfortably," Lewis said.
He also listed Parramatta's Corey Norman as a potential bolter along with the in-form Daly Cherry-Evans - but believed the Manly playmaker might be less likely due to his lack of experience in the five-eighth role.
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