Heilum Luki will miss the remainder of the NRL season after suffering a now confirmed torn ACL during Friday night's Round 14 victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons.
The second rower was taken from the field just 15 minutes into the game against the Dragons on Friday.
Having originally copped a knock and playing on, it was another attempted tackle just over halfway which brought Luki unstuck, with the young second rower heading straight off the ground in clear discomfort.
The original hands on test from the trainer and Cowboys' medical staff - which are usually incredibly accurate for an ACL injury - revealed Luki had suffered an ACL injury at the time, and scan results from the club have today led to the news being confirmed.
"Scans have confirmed North Queensland Cowboys forward Heilum Luki suffered a torn ACL in Friday night's win over the St George Illawarra Dragons," the club said in a short statement.
"Luki will have surgery in the coming weeks and will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2022 season."
Full ACL injuries generally come with a recovery time of between 9 and 12 months, which means at best, he will only be ready around the opening game of 2023.
Should a full 12-month recovery be required, Luki will miss the opening months of the 2023 campaign.
Luki has been part of an excellent three-pronged attack in the second row for the Cowboys this year, coming off the bench for the most part behind Dolphins' bound Tom Gilbert and QueenslandMaroons' State of Origin debutant Jeremiah Nanai.
The young gun will now likely be replaced by either Ben Condon or Connelly Lemuelu for the remainder of the season.