A crash involving a hire car allegedly being driven by injured NRL winger Nene Macdonald is being investigated by police.

Queensland police say some time between 4am and 5am on Thursday, a car on Magnetic Island – just offshore from Townsville – veered off a road and hit a rockface.

The car was hired in the name of 25-year-old North Queensland player Macdonald, who hasn’t played for the Cowboys since suffering a broken ankle in their clash against Melbourne in April.

A Queensland police spokesperson told AAP the driver abandoned the damaged vehicle, taking the keys with them.

“The vehicle was registered to a 25-year-old man who has since attended the Magnetic Island Police Station to confirm he was the driver,” the spokesperson said.

The Cowboys released a brief statement on Thursday acknowledging they were aware of a traffic incident involving one of their players.

“The club has been in contact with the player in question as well as the NRL and will be making no further comment on this matter until internal investigations are completed,” the statement said.