A potential season-ending injury blow suffered by rising Cowboys second-rower Heilum Luki has marred North Queensland’s phenomenal revival.
Wide World of Sports confirmed with the club that Luki had succumbed to a suspected ACL rupture during the Cowboys’ 31-12 win over the Dragons on Friday night.
The 21-year-old hobbled from the field in Townsville after emerging from a tackle with an injured right knee in the 15th minute.
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“He’s definitely going for scans but it doesn’t look great,” said Cowboys coach Todd Payten in his post-match press conference.
“Fingers crossed for him, but we’ll know more in the next 24 to 48 hours.
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In better news for Cowboys supporters, another young North Queensland back-rower in Jeremiah Nanai revealed at half-time that his injury suffered during the State of Origin opener wasn’t serious.
Nanai was felled by an injury to his right ankle during Queensland’s 16-10 win over New South Wales on Wednesday night.
The 19-year-old left play and made a miraculous return to the field, but he wasn’t named for the Cowboys’ match against the Dragons.
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“Fingers crossed on Tuesday I’ll find out if I can play next week,” Nanai told Johnathan Thurston on Nine’s coverage.
“It’s just a minor injury.”
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