Tom Dearden looks set to beat Ezra Mam in the race to replace Cameron Munster in the Queensland team with Wally Lewis saying he would pick the Cowboy in the famous No.6 jersey and selector Darren Lockyer also talking up his chances.

Speaking on Nine’s QLDER program, King Wally said the Cowboys playmaker deserved another crack after a promising Origin debut two years ago.

“He’s got a bit of experience there. It could go either way, the selectors will work in with the coach,” Lewis said.

“I’ve seen him perform extremely well in the toughest of circumstances. He’s got a bit of mongrel in him.”

Maroons selector Darren Lockyer kept his cards close to his chest but said Dearden’s cover tackle on Selwyn Cobbo at club level recently when he ran the length of the field to deny the flying Bronco a try was an Origin-style play.

“Ezra has come a long way in a short space of time,” Lockyer said.

“The chase that (Dearden) did, that’s an Origin trait, that stuff. Both guys have been really good in their respective clubs. It might come down to what happens this weekend.”

Munster will miss the entire State of Origin series after scans revealed a tear in the Queensland five-eighth’s adductor tendon. 

He will need between eight and 10 more weeks on the sidelines after aggravating the issue in a tackle just before half-time in the Storm’s 48-16 defeat of Parramatta at Magic Round on Sunday.

Despite North Queensland’s middling start to the year, Dearden appears the safest option to partner Daly Cherry-Evans in the halves from June 5 at Accor Stadium.

Dearden filled in for Munster when the five-eighth went down with COVID-19 ahead of game three in 2022, the only Origin match Munster has missed since making his Queensland debut in 2017.

Mam was Brisbane’s best player in the 2023 grand final loss, and earned selection in the Maroons’ pre-season camp this year.

How hobbled Haas is playing on

Brisbane prop Payne Haas was practically carried off the ground in the second half of the 13-12 win over Manly last Friday night and could not put any weight through his foot, only to return minutes later.

And he has been cleared to play Gold Coast at Suncorp Stadium, along with fullback Reece Walsh (knee) and Billy Walters (wrist), who both missed last week’s win.

Respected physiotherapist Brien Seeney, known on social media site X as NRL Physio, explained why the complaint was clarified as a nerve injury, even though one of the defenders contacted the outer side of Haas’s calf with their knee.

“In through that specific area of the calf there runs a pretty significant nerve that supplies a lot of electricity to the lower part of your foot,” Seeney said.

“If you get hit in the wrong spot it is almost like momentarily cutting off the signal of that nerve to the lower foot.

“It was really interesting that they said it was more impacting his big toe, a little bit different to how it usually presents, but if you get hit in the wrong spot it shuts down that nerve.

“The good news is that it recovers really quickly, and the example I always use is that it is just like hitting your funny bone in your elbow, which is just an exposed nerve.”

A blow, as occurred with Haas, can cause pain and tingles, but in a couple of minutes a person can be completely fine.

“Moving forward I think we have no concerns with Payne. I think he copped almost a funny-bone injury,” Seeney said.

Brisbane teammate Kotoni Staggs, on the injured list, said Haas was a superhero most of the time.

“The Incredible Hulk as they say,” Staggs said. “I didn’t see him go off, but I’ve seen the replay and I thought he was gone for the game.

“It was pretty wild when I looked back up and he was on the field.”