Test halfback Johnathan Thurston is confident he will be fit for the end of season Four Nations tournament, despite being ruled out for the remainder of North Queensland's NRL campaign.

Thurston underwent scans on his injured right ankle on Saturday after being helped from the field in agony during the Cowboys' 34-26 loss to Brisbane in Townsville on Friday night.

"The preliminary results are that Johnathan has a tear to the medial ligament in his right ankle," a Cowboys statement said.

"A specialist will be consulted early next week.

"Johnathan is unlikely to play for the Cowboys for the rest of 2010, however the injury should not affect any representative duties that he may be selected for at the end of the season."

Thurston `heard a snap' when he suffered the injury in the 18th minute of the match, which sparked fears of a break in the joint.

But an x-ray cleared him of any fracture before an MRI scan confirmed the ligament damage.

"His foot's quite swollen and he's wearing a (moon) boot," Cowboys coach Neil Henry said.

"If you rupture a couple of ligaments it can be as bad as a break and you're still out for six to eight weeks."

The latest injury blow comes after Thurston was twice rested this season with shoulder trouble, while he has also been playing through pain from nerve damage in his feet in recent weeks.

Australia, England, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will fight for the Four Nations title between October 23 and November 13.

Henry said Thurston could have surgery on the nerves in his feet during his lay-off.

"If he's out for the season and he's going to get a bit of surgery on those nerves, we'll probably get that done as well," the coach said.

"I had a quick chat with him and he's not in terrible spirits.

"He's very disappointed, obviously coming off at the 18 minute mark has been a real disappointment for him but you can't do too much about that."

In better news for the Cowboys, prop Matt Scott (hamstring) and lock Luke O'Donnell (knee) are likely to play against Gold Coast next Saturday.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP