EXCLUSIVE: Big question lingers over Maroons No.7 role as selector urges DCE to make quick decision

Billy Slater will be on the hunt for a new halfback in the Origin arena in the near future as he looks to develop a Queensland team without star skipper Daly Cherry-Evans

But Slater's quest to fill the hole that will eventually be left by Cherry-Evans may be quickly completed courtesy of the help of selector Darren Lockyer and Maroons icon Wally Lewis.

Cherry-Evans has yet to confirm what his future in the NRL will look like beyond the 2025 season as he prepares to play his final year in the Manly colours.

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The 36-year-old has drawn interest from rival clubs since announcing his exit from Manly and it remains unknown if the possibility of retirement is still on the cards.

While many have turned attention to who will become Manly's new halfback, Lewis and Lockyer have turned their attention to the glaring hole he will leave in the Origin arena.

The likes of Jamal Fogarty and Ben Hunt were floated by the pair as contenders to take on the challenge of the Maroons' No.7 jersey.

But there was one other star who truly stood out to Lewis.

"I am probably the president of the Tom Dearden fan club," he said on Wide World of Sports' QLDER.

"I know that he is a wonderfully talented player. He really did impress when he first came into first-grade at halfback and he has done extremely well playing at five-eighth.

"He's got plenty of talent... so I think he is one of the guys that must be a favourite [to take over the role]."

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Lockyer, a selector for the Maroons, remained coy on who he would lean towards to don the No.7 jersey but did admit that he can see a Cameron Munster-Dearden combination working.

"I think they would complement each other," Lockyer said of the pair.

"I think it would work because one plays off the cuff and the other is an organised player.

"The other part of this (selection debate) is if you are considering Ben Hunt at 7 who do you put at hooker? That will probably bring Reed Mahoney into the conversation.

"If you're moving Hunt then you need to fill a (hole). He does a wonderful job with what he does.

"There are a few combinations that you could use I guess... (but) you just hope all the people we are talking about are fit and healthy so you have options."

Lewis encouraged Slater to consider looking for answers to the eventual halfback dilemma "as soon as possible" in order to "calm" the team's future preparations.

"The sooner the better in all situations like that," he said.

"We are trying to make a guess on when that (decision) is going to be and it's a very difficult one to come up with. The sooner the better in all situations like that."

Lockyer feared discussions around the future of the Maroons team may be coming too soon but did recognise that the selection of the spine will dictate other picks.

"The sooner the better because depending on who you have to pick in the spine dictates how you play the game," he said.

"We are talking about the current captain of Queensland so there is a leadership (question as well).

"I've got no doubt - I haven't spoken to Billy - that he is in conversation with Daly and that will continue. But if Daly decides he is not going to make himself unavailable then Billy needs to know so he can work out who he wants to look at in that position.

"But you're jumping at shadows [planning now]," Lockyer continued.

"You don't know if there are injuries... you look at the team who played last year which they just fell short.

"But until you get within a few weeks of game one and know who is available, what form everyone is in... at the moment you are making decisions too far away from that game."