NSW skipper Robbie Farah was struggling to breathe at half-time in Origin I because of a shoulder injury which threatens to rule him out of game two.

Farah played the bulk of Wednesday's 11-10 loss to Queensland with searing pain in his shoulder and ribs after being slammed in the turf by Justin Hodges in the 28th minute. Hodges was not penalised, instead given a warning letter by the match review committee. The Blues fill-in skipper was left battling for breath as he tried to fight the pain and play on.

"They tried to needle it at half-time but it didn't give me much relief," Farah told Fairfax Media. "I knew something was wrong. The pain was going down the back of my shoulder and into my ribs. I was probably worse at half-time. The pain once you're out there you get through it, but after the game I was in a pretty bad way. I didn't get a wink of sleep."

Fearing he had fractured his shoulder, Farah was given some good news on Thursday when scans revealed he had sustained a grade three AC joint injury to his left shoulder. The injury could sideline him for a month, meaning he will be racing the clock to be fit for Origin II in Melbourne on June 17.

"I'm not too sure," Farah said when asked if he would play in game two. "It's too early to say. At the moment I need to ice up and try and get the swelling down. I need to get the strength back into it and get back into training and see how I go."

Farah played on despite the pain, making a game-high 58 tackles. Each tackle ached, while his passing from dummy half was also affected. With the Blues not carrying a back-up hooker, Farah said he had little option but to play on, inspired by the heroics of the Morris boys who played through injury during last year's series opener.

"With tackling I was kind of just trying to make my tackles," Farah said. "I was disappointed because in the first half before the injury I thought I was defending really well. I didn't have any strength. I was just clinging on, waiting for help.

"I didn't even entertain that option [of coming off] to be honest. I didn't do anything that the other 16 players wouldn't have done. We saw amazing efforts last year so there was no way I was coming off with an AC injury in the shoulder. It's what it is expected when you pull on the NSW jersey. I didn't want to let the team down. In my opinion it was nothing out of the ordinary."

Michael Ennis would be the likely replacement should Farah be forced out. While Farah is now in a race against time to play the next Origin, the Blues are expected to welcome back regular captain Paul Gallen and winger Brett Morris.

Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan expects Gallen to return next week when the Sharks play the Roosters. "[He is no] certainty next week but he is progressing well," Flanagan said. "He is running very strong but it all will depend on when he starts contact sessions."

Morris is set to return from a hamstring injury to play his former club St George Illawarra next Monday.

Farah described the one-point Origin loss as the "one that got away".

"We were on top for long periods in the first half," Farah said. "In the second half we had no ball but we hung on. Our defence was outstanding again which has been the cornerstone of what we've been trying to do the past 12 months. At 10-all we had our chances to win the game but didn't come up with the right plays."