Queensland's State of Origin selectors must be feeling a little bit happier today.

Villified for much of the last two weeks for not selecting Scott Prince at five-eighth, and then seeing the Maroons turn on a pretty woeful display in an 18-10 loss to NSW in Game One last Wednesday night, the three-man selection panel, and coach Mal Meninga, have been getting some welcome good news.

All is not lost for the Maroons.

One loss does not ruin a series. However, keeping the same 17 from Game One might have.

You can just about guarantee there will be some changes for the second match at Suncorp Stadium, although, in typical Queensland style, they won’t be big ones.

The best news for Queensland came at Mt Smart Stadium yesterday where Steve Price was back in the Warriors side for his first game since picking up a hamstring injury in round one against the Melbourne Storm.

He couldn’t inspire an insipid Warriors outfit yesterday, but he will make the Maroons pack more formidable for Game Two if the 34-year-old can keep himself in one piece until then.

Only last Thursday, Price said he didn’t think he would be playing against the Roosters yesterday and he wasn’t thinking too much about playing Origin footy.

If he isn’t thinking about it now, after making 22 tackles and gaining a team-high 90 metres in 11 hit-ups, the selectors and Meninga certainly will.

It wasn’t the backline’s fault that the Maroons lost Game One.

It was the forwards who were outplayed and, as tradition dictates, without a dominant forward pack, your backs cannot produce their brilliance – and we all know the Maroons have a backline to savour.

Price should slot straight into the Maroons’ front-row with his old mate Petero Civoniceva, giving Queensland the punch from the start that Carl Webb was unable to provide in the series opener.

The Cowboys forward may be lucky to keep his place in the 17 because there’s no way Roosters prop Nate Myles, who was given the players’ player award by the Maroons, will be punted and neither should second-rowers Sam Thaiday or Mick Crocker.

It will be up to the selection panel to choose between the impact Webb can provide, albeit sporadically, off the bench, and the higher workrate, particularly in defence, of his North Queensland teammate Jacob Lillyman.

Darren Lockyer may also be back for Game Two, saving the selectors from having to deal with more “Pick Prince” propaganda, but setting up a fight between Karmichael Hunt and Billy Slater for the No.1 jersey.

Although Slater was good in Game One, I’d go for Hunt and shift the Storm No.1 to the interchange in place of PJ Marsh.

 THE US PGA Tour has a slogan, “these guys are good”.

Club golf professionals in Australia aren’t in the same league, but they’re pretty darn good as well, showing just how good you have to be to a full-time member of one of the world’s elite tours.

NSW club professional Bryan Roach is sitting at 11-under-par after two rounds of the Cadbury Schweppes Australian PGA Club Pro Championship at Twin Waters and will take a four-shot lead into the final round today.

He went around Twin Waters in seven-under-par 65 yesterday, a score that was just one shot better than Peregian Springs club pro Wayne Rostron, who has moved up to sixth place, eight shots from the lead.

Fourteen of the club pros are under-par for 36 holes and in the field of 39, there’s been only one round that hasn’t broken 80.

It makes you wonder what scores Tiger Woods and his mates would shoot around Twin Waters if they turned up tomorrow.