A week before the NRL is officially set to restart, North Queensland hard man McGuire reckons Maroons coach Kevin Walters will already have his team pencilled in for November's interstate series.

And he believed players who starred in the NRL finals still may not dislodge Walters' early picks, saying Origin suited some players and not others.

McGuire is keen for North Queensland to end a two year finals drought in 2020, especially with Maroons selection on offer after the NRL season.

However he did not think missing the NRL finals would harm some players' Maroons chances.

"Playing good footy counts for something," McGuire said when asked if teams need to make the finals for players to press for a Queensland nod.

"But I am pretty sure Kevvie would already have a fair idea of who he is going with and what he thinks is going to work.

"It's a different arena. It's kind of like a different sport, Origin.

"It's different to NRL and different people are suited to it, some people aren't suited to it.

"I am sure Kevvie has an idea of who he thinks will suit his team and will pick the right guys for the job."

Not that McGuire - a Maroons mainstay with 14 games since 2015 - will be taking his Queensland jersey for granted if the Cowboys bombed again in 2020.

"Hopefully we run pretty deep into the season and the finals so we have match fitness but any opportunity to wear the Maroons jersey is exciting," he said.

"We never take it for granted. I am hopeful of getting an opportunity at the end of the year."

The thought of playing three Origins in as many weeks from November 4 didn't faze McGuire.

"It's never too hard to get up for an Origin game," he said.

Australian Associated Press