State of Origin 2008 could turn out to be the defining moment in Johnathan Thurston's rugby league career.

At 25, the Queensland and Australia halfback has already claimed some of the game's highest individual accolades, twice named the Dally M player of the year.

He won a premiership with the Bulldogs in 2004 before moving to North Queensland where he has played nine Origins for Queensland and seven Tests for Australia with the promise of many more to come.

But Wednesday night could be something else altogether.

Without the genius of Darren Lockyer by his side, Thurston will have to be the cool, calm and calculated head the Maroons have enjoyed in 58 of the 81 Origins with Lockyer and Wally Lewis calling the shots.

Queensland haven't taken the field without Lockyer as captain in 11 successive Origins since the second game of the 2004 series.

While Cameron Smith will assume Lockyer's leadership role as he did for Australia in the Centenary Test last week, it will be Thurston who inherits the pressure of calling the crucial plays when the game is on the line.

It's a massive task but one Thurston's Cowboys teammate and Origin roomie Jacob Lillyman believes will bring out the very best in the former Souths Sunnybank junior who only recently passed 100 NRL games after returning early from twin shoulder reconstructions last year.

"I think it definitely will be," said Lillyman when asked if this series could be a defining moment in Thurston's career should Lockyer fail to get back from his latest knee surgery.

"He's always played with Lockyer in the Queensland teams and Lockyer's always had the higher call on plays.

"This year, and in this game, it's going to rest a lot on his shoulders but he thrives on the responsibility and he just lives for the pressure games.

"We're all just going to have to get our heads around the fact we're not going to have Lockyer and that guys like Johnno (Thurston) are going to have to step up a little extra.

"I'm sure he's up to the task.

"He'll thrive with the extra responsibility. He loves the big games and he loves having the pressure weighing on his shoulders.

"He's a great player and when the chips are down I'm sure Queensland will be looking to him to be the difference."

Queensland officials rubbished reports an intoxicated Thurston had been asked to leave a Gold Coast nightclub on Wednesday night when the team was out "bonding".

Team management carried out their own investigation on Thursday and were told by the nightclub the allegation was bogus.

Winger Greg Inglis didn't train on Thursday, but his absence was due to a stomach virus which isn't expected to linger.

Queensland winger Brent Tate received some treatment from the team's medical staff at training on Thursday but returned to complete the session while Justin Hodges showed no signs of the shoulder injury which sidelined him from last weekend's NRL round.

Lillyman, surprised to get called up for his fourth Origin game after missing the last two weeks with suspension, said Wednesday's game was shaping as a titanic battle in the forwards.

NSW have picked an intimidating pack with Paul Gallen, Willie Mason and debutant Ben Cross, who Queensland forward Michael Crocker described this week as "crazy", but Lillyman says Queensland can match the battle up front.

"They've picked a very good forward pack and an intimidating one but if you look at ours, there's a few hard heads in ours too," said Lillyman.

"I think it'll be a really good clash up the middle and fans will certainly get their money's worth.

Lillyman said there was no way Queensland would be complacent after having won back-to-back series.

"Every time you pull on that maroon jersey, complacency doesn't enter into the equation," he said.

"The boys are jumping out of their skin and I think you'll see a very fired up side come Wednesday night."

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