Despite being rusty in his return from an achilles injury last weekend, Darius Boyd will be picked by Queensland in State of Origin according to Maroons coach Mal Meninga.

“I was very excited about his return and didn’t expect it,” Meninga said while in Melbourne promoting Game II.

“He has obviously worked really really hard to get back on the field. He loves the game and has gone through a pretty horrid time and handled that extremely well.

“I’m full of admiration for Darius. He has one more game for the Broncos against the Cowboys on Friday. We hope he gets through it and he will be picked for Queensland.”