Cowboys coach Paul Green has not ruled out partnering Michael Morgan with Jake Clifford in the halves for round one after Clifford presented a compelling case in Saturday night's 22-16 trial win over the Titans.
Knee injuries to wingers Murray Taulagi and Kurt Wiltshire were the major worry for Green, with the North Queensland coach confident prop Corey Jensen's rolled ankle would not keep him out of action for too long.
The only other concern for Green is who will best complement Morgan when the Cowboys face the Dragons in round one on March 16.
Morgan will make his first appearance for the season in the Cowboys' final trial against the Storm in Mackay next Saturday and Green conceded that there is much to consider in choosing his halves partner.
"Getting the balance right is important," Green said of his halves conundrum.
"They've both got different attributes, they're both different players. Te Maire is very good at sniffing out an opportunity and he often gets himself in the right spot.
"Cliffo has got probably a better kicking game so we'll just have to weigh it up and get that balance right.
"They both had their moments where they played well and they also both had their moments where they could have been better too.
"It's a good headache to have. We'll see how we go next weekend."
It was an inauspicious start for Clifford when the kick-off into the gale-force southerly at Sunshine Coast Stadium went back over his head, as he and Martin struggled early to adjust to the extreme conditions.
Poor kicks and some wrong options meant that sets didn't finish how they were intended but both responded in the best way possible.
Clifford used his speed and strength to force his way over in the 18th minute for the game's first try, Martin slicing through on the right side less than 10 minutes later to give the Cowboys a 10-6 lead.
Clifford scored both of North Queensland's second half tries – and showcased his kicking skills with some carefully calculated conversions – to further advance his case at the selection table.
"I thought they got better as the game went on," Green said.
"Tough conditions with the way the wind was but I thought early in the game we didn't finish our sets very well.
"We needed to be better in that area which was a bit of a focus for us but I thought they ended the game really well."
The trial also marked the return of veteran Queensland and Kangaroos front-rower Matt Scott after a second bout of neck surgery.
Scott, Jason Taumalolo and Jordan McLean each played the opening quarter before being given the rest of the night off.
Scott was happy to get the first game of the year under his belt.
"I feel really good actually," Scott said.
"It's always good to start playing some trials. It means we're getting closer to playing some real footy.
"I've been pretty confident that the surgery has fixed the problems that I've had. It hasn’t really worried me at all. You can’t be worried about it going into games so I was really confident.
"I'll probably have two stints next week. I'd be happy with two 20-minute stints, something like that."
