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Maroons captain Smith looking out for No.1

Queensland skipper Cameron Smith doesn't envy coach Kevin Walters, who must choose between Darius Boyd and Billy Slater for the May 31 Origin opener.

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Source: AAP


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Even Queensland captain Cameron Smith is stumped over who to pick as Maroons fullback - his Melbourne teammate Billy Slater or Brisbane's Darius Boyd.

With Queensland coach Kevin Walters looking on, Slater's comeback from a two-year injury battle gained further momentum with a star turn despite Melbourne's shock 38-36 NRL loss to Gold Coast Titans on Saturday night.

Walters has indicated Slater, 33, will reclaim his Queensland No.1 jersey from incumbent Boyd for the May 31 State of Origin opener in Brisbane.

But Smith says it is not that clear-cut.

"Darius is obviously the incumbent there. The last two years he's been the best fullback in the game, both domestically and internationally I believe," Smith said.

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"But Bill is playing great footy as well.

"It's going to be a really difficult decision for Kevvie ... but I'm sure he'll come up with the right one."

Boyd played the majority of his 26 Origins on the wing for Queensland before establishing himself as the game's premier No.1 in Slater's absence last year.

Even if Slater replaces Boyd at fullback, Smith expected to see both in the Queensland side for game one.

"We still have the option of playing both," he said.

"Darius has played on the wing for Queensland before.

"He hasn't played there for club a lot recently but he's got the job done every time he's played in a Queensland jumper.

"It's a nice headache for Kevvie."

Slater was at his wily best against the Titans, helping Melbourne grab an early 18-6 lead at Suncorp Stadium, running off Tohu Harris to score in the 19th minute.

Three minutes later the veteran fullback again wound back to the clock to show blistering speed and combine with Smith to send halfback Cooper Cronk over.

Slater ran a total of 134m and made two line breaks but could not stop the fast-finishing Titans nabbing a thrilling win with Konrad Hurrell's 78th minute try.

"He's looking really sharp," Smith said after Slater's first game at Suncorp Stadium since round 20, 2014.

"There were a lot of question marks about what his performance was going to be like this year but I was always confident he was going to play this way.

"He's always looked a threat with the footy, he's given us a fair bit of energy in attack - we just need to utilise that a bit more."


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