Cameron Smith has stopped short of nominating his preference for Queensland State of Origin skipper but thinks the Maroons should opt for someone with captaincy experience.
The longtime Queensland captain until he quit representative football before last year's series, Smith was still coming to terms with the sudden retirement of 2018 first-choice skipper Greg Inglis.
But he felt the Maroons had some suitable candidates as they looked to wrest the Origin title back from NSW.
"I'm still digesting Greg not being a part of the Origin side," Smith said on Monday
"There's a few candidates that are available to the team and to Kevin (coach Kevin Walters) - Michael Morgan, Daly Cherry-Evans and I think Cameron Munster's name has been thrown about."
With seasoned stars like halfback Johnathon Thurston and fullback Billy Slater also off the Origin scene, Smith believes Queensland should opt for a player who already had leadership experience, putting NRL club captains Morgan and Cherry-Evans in the front-running.
Souths coach and long-time Maroons mentor Wayne Bennett has already endorsed Manly skipper Cherry-Evans as the "logical choice".
"I'd probably lean towards someone with a bit of experience in the captaincy role or leadership role," Smith said.
"I couldn't really throw someone's name up at the moment because I haven't thought about it too much."
