The Cowboys have been handed a pair of mammoth injury blows, with both Jeremiah Nanai and Griffin Neame set to be sidelined to start the 2026 season.
North Queensland released a statement on Sunday, explaining Nanai suffered his injury while playing for Samoa and he underwent a reconstruction during the week.
Neame, meanwhile, suffered his injury blow in August and also endured a reconstructive surgery in the weeks that followed.
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However, he has suffered a “setback in his recovery” which will mean he will be sidelined for at least the first round of the season.
“Timelines for the returns of both players will become clearer in the New Year,” the statement read.
Elsewhere, the club were handed a big boost with Murray Taulagi avoiding serious injury after he suffered a knee blow in the Pacific Championships final.
Taulagi is expected to be free to take the field in Round 1.
“Scans revealed an MCL injury, with Taulagi expected to return to full training immediately after the Christmas break,” the statement read.
DOLPHINS’ SELECTION HEADACHE
The Dolphins are bracing for the return of enforcer Tom Flegler — which could prove to cause mammoth selection headaches for coach Kristian Woolf.
Flegler hasn’t taken the field since Round 5 of the 2024 season, battling with a rare nerve problem that threatened to end his NRL career.
However, he returned to contact training during the week, eyeing a first grade return in a huge boost for a Dolphins side decimated through injuries last season.
Flegler is also one of the club’s highest-paid players, but has been unable to stamp his mark and lead the 17th franchise’s forward pack after making the move from the Broncos.
The gun prop will almost certainly start if declared fit for Round 1, while the likes of Tom Gilbert (shoulder), Daniel Saifiti (shoulder) and Max Plath (knee) are also due to return.
Francis Molo arrived during the 2025 season, while Super League import Morgan Knowles also joins the club after being recruited by Woolf.
Veteran Felise Kaufusi was handed a one-year extension, while Ray Stone, Kulikefu Finefeuiaki, Connelly Lemuelu, Oryn Keeley and the much-improved Kurt Donoghoe will all be fighting for places.
So now Woolf has some huge selection calls to make after constructing one of the NRL’s most impressive forward packs.
“If we get everyone on the field and stay healthy, we’ve got a great pack,” Flegler said to Code Sports.
“We’ve got a long way to go, a lot of training to do. It’s all good saying it, but unless we do it, it’s irrelevant.”
While Flegler was staring down the barrel of his career coming to an end, he explained that he has been “lucky” in his recovery.
“I didn’t really know how to take it there, it was hard coming to training,” he said.
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“I had the injury, waited and it’s been 13 months since surgery. We knew it was going to be a slow process.
“Luckily things have turned out pretty well and it’s looking pretty good at the moment.
“I was trying to be optimistic but you’ve got to be a bit realistic. There’s thoughts that always roll through your head.
“We’re lucky things turned out the way they have. It could be a lot worse. I’ve got an injury, it’s not a good injury but it’s not the worst either. There’s people out there doing a lot worse than me.
“I still get to wake up, come to training and be around the team every day. It’s good in that aspect.”
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