It wasn't in Canberra's pre-season plans, but Josh McCrone's makeshift move to hooker during matches has doubled his chances of playing State of Origin, according to Raiders dummy-half coach Simon Woolford.
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But Woolford has downplayed the importance of McCrone's battle this Sunday with one of the best utility players in the game, Newcastle's Kurt Gidley, questioning whether NSW coach Laurie Daley should even opt for a half-hooker utility in this year's Origin series.
The Raiders have used three different starting hookers in just eight matches this season, but have started to find success by switching McCrone from halfback to hooker during matches, enabling Canberra more versatility on the bench. They will need to make another change again this weekend, with Glen Buttriss to miss at least two weeks with a badly dislocated finger. Woolford said he'd done limited work with McCrone at dummy-half, but his natural instinct for the positional change had increased his representative chances ''100 per cent''.
''It's probably not going to happen this year, but down the track certainly his versatility will enhance his rep chances for sure, I'd say it'd double his chances for Origin,'' he said. ''I don't think it was the plan at all in the pre-season to put him at hooker, it just worked out that way and he's made a fist of it. He's obviously got some things to learn about dummy-half play, but as far as natural instinct, choosing when to pick the ball up and run, he's really good at that.''
Gidley, a former NSW skipper and incumbent Australian representative, is considered favourite to win the utility role for NSW. But Woolford questioned the value of the position, claiming Daley's better option might be to play hooker Robbie Farah for 80 minutes.
''I wouldn't be surprised if Laurie went a different way, I don't know if he'll go with that sort of half-hooker utility on the bench,'' Woolford, who played at Canberra with Daley, said.
''I don't know if it's proved to be a worthwhile ploy in the past. They went with Jamie Buhrer last year in the first game and he played seven minutes. That cost NSW when they took Farah off, so I reckon Laurie will be looking to keep Robbie Farah on for 80 minutes.''
Raiders coach David Furner is undecided how he will use his hooker rotation against the Knights on Sunday, with Matt McIlwrick and veteran Shaun Berrigan training in the position on Wednesday.
Woolford felt the ploy of having McCrone switch was working. ''Down the track you could look at Josh being an 80-minute hooker but at this stage I don't think he's ready for that. I think this role suits him at the moment against a tired defensive team.''
Furner has not ruled out recalling second-rower Josh Papalii for Sunday's match at Canberra Stadium after he trained with the team on Wednesday. Papalii has maintained his fitness by running on an anti-gravity treadmill since having surgery on both knees.
Prop David Shillington looks set to return from a rib injury, but back-rower Joel Edwards is in doubt to play his former side after missing training with a shoulder complaint.
