North Queensland captain Johnathan Thurston will put his end-of-season Australian No.7 jumper on the line as he continues to carry injury for his out of finals contention Cowboys.

It's been revealed Thurston is playing through considerable pain because of nerve problems in both feet.

If it continues, there's a possibility he could require surgery.

Thurston however intends to play out the last seven rounds with the Cowboys and regain his place at halfback for Australia's defence of the Four Nations crown in October-November after missing the Anzac Test through injury.

"It's a pinched nerve that's shooting pain up my toes when I have my boots on," explained the 27-year-old.

"I'll just play with a bit of pain, everyone's doing it, it's all good ... it should be right." Surgery would mean an extended spell on the sidelines which neither Thurston or the second last placed Cowboys can afford.

"They can take the nerve out, but it's like a four-to-six week (recovery), so that might be worth doing after the Four Nations, but we'll just wait and see," said Thurston.

Cowboys coach Neil Henry has his share of injury concerns ahead of Saturday's home clash with Newcastle.

Thurston and fellow Queensland Origin representative Willie Tonga (ankle) have not trained all week.

Acknowledging Thurston may need a small operation at some stage, he said Tonga was likely to play with the aid of a local injection.

Henry said Newcastle had a lot to play for because they still had a shot at making the finals.

"They (Newcastle) have a lot to play for and we've still got a lot to play for to restore some pride and for our fans and to get a few wins at the back end of the season," he said.

Newcastle coach Robert Stone, understood to be upset at the poor effort by his players against the Raiders, has lost prop Daniel Tolar and veteran Adam MacDougall to injury.

Either Wes Naiqama or Cooper Vuna will replace MacDougall (ankle) while Joel Edwards or Mark Taufua will take Tolar's place in the pack.

Defensively, the two teams are well matched - they're both terrible.

The Cowboys are the worst defensive side in the NRL conceding 27 points a game while the Knights give up 25.

As such it is expected to be a high scoring contest with the Cowboys potentially more dangerous in attack with Thurston, Tonga and Matty Bowen while the Knights will rely heavily on Kurt Gidley to spark their attack.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP