North Queensland forward Jason Taumalolo is facing up to 10 weeks on the sidelines after scans revealed the full extent of a knee injury sustained in their NRL round-two loss to Brisbane.
The Cowboys have confirmed Taumalolo suffered a grade-three medial ligament tear and is expected to be sidelined for six to 10 weeks.
A week after running 301m in the season-opening win against St George Illawarra, Taumalolo damaged his knee in a tackle early in Friday's Broncos clash and battled on before being replaced in the 34th minute.
The Cowboys enforcer took no part in the second half as Brisbane stormed to a 29-10 win at Suncorp Stadium.
North Queensland will now be sweating on the Tongan star returning in six weeks, ahead of their clash against South Sydney in round nine.
AAP