Besieged NSW prop Jason King's otherwise-forgettable week ended on a high at Suncorp Stadium but an ankle injury is the latest obstacle to the Manly co-captain's hopes of State of Origin retention.

King strained his ankle in the first half of the Sea Eagles' impressive 34-10 NRL thumping of Brisbane on Friday night but bravely returned to play out the last 29 minutes.

The Blues front-rower, heavily criticised for failing to make an impact as Queensland dominated up front in Wednesday night's Origin opener, will have scans on Monday to assess the damage.

"It's pretty sore at the moment," King admitted post-match.

"I'll find out more I guess on Monday.

"It felt good to get through the rest of the match. It will give me a bit of confidence going forward."

King and fellow starting prop Kade Snowden are in the Blues selection cross-hairs after they combined for just 10 hit-ups between them, with King making just 24m in his 35 minutes on the field.

Manly coach Des Hasler argued criticism of King's effort was unwarranted due to the Maroons' dominance of possession while he was on the field.

"Queensland had all the ball in the first half," Hasler said. "He came back really strong tonight and I thought he was one of the best."

King declined to comment about the caning he's received and selection prospects but admitted he was well pleased to help the Sea Eagles to their sixth win from their last seven matches to jump to second on the NRL standings.

"I was just trying to perform at the best of my ability, that's all I'm concentrating on, just trying to do my part for the team," he said.

"The boys had a pretty good week and we put all our words into action."

Manly also have concerns over another prop, George Rose, who sustained a calf strain in the first half when the Broncos took a 10-4 lead.

Headline acts Brett Stewart and Jamie Lyon produced two freakish plays as Manly went on a 30-point second-half blitz while youngsters Will Hopoate and Daly Cherry-Evans each with a double.

Hasler praised Queensland-raised halfback Cherry-Evans' work-ethic and confidence to fill the shoes of Trent Hodkinson a season after he was playing in the Queensland Cup.

"It was a thrill to score two tries back at Brisbane at the home of rugby league in front of family and friends," he said.

"I knew I had to bide my time playing for Sunshine Coast (last year), and even though Queensland was a long way from Sydney I had to make sure I enjoyed my footy and learned along the way."

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