The North Queensland Cowboys have confirmed that Heilum Luki will undergo surgery in the coming days after sustaining a syndesmosis injury in the club's win over the Newcastle Knights.
The club has posted that "the 22-year-old will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks", which is a significant loss for Todd Payten.
The update from the club comes after he underwent scans on Sunday morning to determine the severity of the injury.
News Corp has reported that he will travel to Brisbane on Monday as he prepares to undergo surgery, according to Cowboys General Manager of Football Michael Luck.
Luki left the field midway through the first half against the Newcastle Knights and failed to return. Later, he was seen in a moon boot on his left leg.
“High ankle sprain. He's wearing a boot, he'll go for a scan. He didn't come back so that's not a good sign," Payten said on Saturday after the game.
"I can't tell you any more than that because I haven't spoken to anyone on the medical team."
Heilum Luki ruled out for the rest of the game with a left ankle injury. Video of mechanism not great, but direction of force (out to in) suggests medial/high ankle sprain most likely.
Moderate-high grade injury a concern - would be multi-week recovery (4-8 weeks) if confirmed. pic.twitter.com/mh5Q6k4gNA
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) March 16, 2024