Queensland's State of Origin preparations have been dealt a major blow with Tom Dearden suffering a suspected ankle injury during North Queensland's 33-30 golden point loss to Parramatta on Friday night. The Cowboys halfback was injured in the second half when tackled by Josh Addo-Carr and Joash Papalii, but played on despite being visibly hampered.
Dearden, who won the Wally Lewis Medal as player of the series last year, is now in serious doubt for the Origin opener in Sydney on May 27. He bravely finished the game but was limping heavily, and Cowboys coach Todd Payten confirmed he will undergo scans on Saturday to determine the severity of the injury.
“It didn’t look good and it progressively got worse as he stayed on the field. This is concerning for Queensland,” said Braith Anasta on Kayo Sports. Maroons legend Kevin Walters added: “Tom Dearden, that’s a big one. He’s in such good form. Not good signs for Queensland or Tommy.”
Payten expressed frustration with his team's performance, stating: “We showed a lack of respect to our most capped player, we showed a lack of respect to our captain with eight minutes to go, trying to push passes when he’s on one leg. Showed a lack of respect to the ball with 18 minutes and got exactly what was coming.”
Dearden's potential absence would be a significant loss for Queensland, especially with his likely halves partner Cameron Munster out of form. The Cowboys also face a challenging period with Origin players unavailable.
