Injured North Queensland and Maroons forward Reuben Cotter has been ruled out of State of Origin II, with scans revealing a grade-three hamstring tear.
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The Queenslander is set to spend between three to five weeks on the sidelines after picking up the injury while warming up for the Cowboys' clash with Manly on Friday night.
He is now long odds to be fit in time for Origin III on July 13.
It's a heartbreaking blow for Cotter, 23, who lit up the park on debut in Origin I with a stellar display, making 51 tackles and running for 134m playing 80 minutes at lock.
Brisbane's Patrick Carrigan looms as the most obvious replacement for Cotter, after starring on debut in the series opener with 183m off the pine.
Fellow Bronco Tom Flegler and South Sydney's Jai Arrow were both in the extended Maroons' squad for Origin I, with either able to come onto the bench if Carrigan starts.
It was a night of potential injury chaos for the Maroons, with aspiring winger Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow taken from the field after he was kneed in the head by Manly's Morgan Harper.
Harper was offered a $1,000 fine with an early guilty plea for the incident, but that's little consolation for Tabuai-Fidow who will have to return through concussion protocols.
Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi, also in the running to replace injured Queensland winger Xavier Coates, looked to hurt his shoulder in the contest but played on.
Australian Associated Press
