North Queensland hooker Ray Thompson will undergo surgery on Friday night after suffering a fractured ankle at Indigenous All Stars training in Brisbane.
Thompson will not only miss Saturday night’s All Stars clash at Suncorp Stadium but also the Cowboys’ World Club Series clash against English champions Leeds in the UK next weekend.
“It was just a little accident at training, he was in a lot of pain,” Indigenous coach Laurie Daley said.
Daley has not ruled out naming a replacement.
“At this stage we are looking around, we are trying to confirm that,” he said.
“But if not we will go with our 19. Hopefully we can get someone in.”
Thompson went down at Langlands Park in Brisbane during the Indigenous side’s final training session ahead of the showcase event.
It is another blow for the All Stars match which has already been hit hard by player unavailability.
Five players pulled out of the Indigenous side during the week while nine of the original 20-strong World All Stars squad withdrew.
Thompson’s injury is also a blow to the Cowboys depth ahead of their NRL title defence.
The majority of the North Queensland WCC squad fly out for the UK on Friday.