Maroons concerned bout Ben Te'o's mental state ahead of Origin I Ben Te'o trains with the Queensland squad. THE Maroons are concerned about Ben Te'o's mental state ahead of Origin I with coach Mal Meninga saying assault allegations have taken a toll on the Queensland forward. Te'o arrived in Sydney with the Maroons yesterday afternoon still uncertain if he will be formally charged by Queensland police, who are investigating claims he punched Brisbane woman Katie Lewis. The Queensland enforcer has put on a brave face during public training sessions, but sources close to the Maroons say Te'o has been privately shaken by a saga that began 12 days ago. Police have not indicated if their probe will be completed before Origin I on Wednesday night. But it is understood Maroons winger Darius Boyd and Broncos fullback Corey Norman, who were present on the night of the alleged attack on April 20, have also provided formal statements. Should Te'o be charged in the next 48 hours, the Maroons have contingency plans, with Canberra hulk and 19th man Josh Papalii on standby to make his Origin debut. Speaking with The Courier-Mail Meninga said he was monitoring Te'o closely after the emotional strain of the past week, which included leaving the Queensland camp for a three-hour interview with Ferny Grove police. "It's been hard on Ben," Meninga said. At this stage, we've heard nothing more, but it's my job to make sure this team is well prepared and I'm keeping a close eye on Ben because it has been a testing time for him. We've got some options in the squad. Daly Cherry-Evans and Josh Papalii are here as our 18th and 19th men and if Ben is not available, those guys have trained well and will come into consideration. Veteran centre Justin Hodges backed Te'o, his former Broncos teammate, to cope with a possible backlash from NSW fans. "It's been a pretty up-and-down build-up with all of the talk, but we have coped pretty well as a side," he said. At the moment, we'll get our games and heads right and try and be ready for Wednesday. Benny is one of those players who can bring a lot of aggression. He is one of the better tacklers in the game, when he hits he can really put on a good hit, he has a lot of aggression and that's what you need in Origin footy. Hopefully when he comes on he can give us some impact. Maroons fullback Billy Slater said the turbulent build-up - including Boyd's injury battle and Johnathan Thurston's wait for the birth of his child - had tested the Maroons' resolve. "There have been a few hiccups leading into game one for us," Slater said. Obviously Johnathan with his baby due and there's been some off-field stuff with Ben. Our preparation has not been ideal but hopefully we put our best foot forward. We have a great side and we just need to do the hard work now. Papalii has looked comfortable running with the Maroons at training and says he would not be spooked by an Origin debut on NSW's turf. "I feel blessed to be here and I'm trying to get the respect of the boys first," he said. I'm soaking all this up and if I played, I will try not to let Queensland down.