Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan believes Johnathan Thurston is a long shot at playing Thursday night's NRL clash, but says the North Queensland playmaker's recovering shoulder can expect some 'traffic' if he does.
Thurston trained with the Cowboys on Wednesday in Sydney in his desperate bid to overcome injury, but Flanagan did not expect North Queensland to risk him with State of Origin looming.
"I don't want to read too much into it," Flanagan said when told Thurston had trained with the Cowboys.
"If he is any chance of playing Origin, I would be surprised if he does turn up.
"And if he does turn up, we won't treat him any different. He can expect a bit of traffic."
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The Cowboys will make a final call on Thurston when they announce their 17 an hour before kickoff against the defending premiers.
Thurston - who suffered the injury barely a fortnight ago in Australia's trans-Tasman Test win - is also racing the clock to be fit for Queensland's Origin campaign which starts on May 31.
"(Cowboys coach) Paul Green is not going to turn him out if he is not 100 per cent fit," Flanagan said.
"But you never know with Johnathan. He is a tough bugger."
