North Queensland coach Todd Payten will have an early test of his squad's depth after star winger Murray Taulagi was ruled out for an extended period.
Taulagi hobbled off the field at halftime in the Cowboys' 24-12 win over Gold Coast, with scans on Monday confirming a medial collateral ligament injury.
He is expected to be sidelined for four-to-six games, dampening his chances of representing Queensland again in State of Origin's May 31 opener.
The 24-year-old was joint top-scorer for the Cowboys in 2022 with 17 tries, alongside Dally M Rookie of the Year Jeremiah Nanai, who will miss the next two games after taking an early guilty plea at the judiciary for up-ending Phillip Sami in a tackle.
Centre Gehamat Shibasaki faces a two-to-three week stint in the injury ward after injuring his hamstring in Saturday's win, while veteran James Tamou is also out of Sunday's match against Canterbury with a foot issue.
The Cowboys said Tamou went for scans on Sunday and club doctors will await the results to determine a date for his return.
Peta Hiku will likely slot back in place of Shibasaki after serving a two match ban, with fullback Scott Drinkwater to return in round six after sitting out three weeks for a high-shot on Brisbane's Corey Oates.
