North Queensland captain Johnathan Thurston will be rested for six to eight weeks after it was confirmed on Monday that he has a medial ligament tear in his right ankle.

The Cowboys halfback will miss the rest of the NRL season, but will still be confident of recovering in time for Australia's Four Nations campaign which begins against Papua New Guinea on October 24.

Thurston `heard a snap' when he suffered the injury in the 18th minute of last Friday's match against Brisbane, sparking fears of a break in the joint.

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

Given he'll be sidelined with his ankle, Thurston will take the opportunity to also have surgery to remove nerves from both of his feet.

The Queensland and Test star has suffered from foot pain for a number of weeks and is expected to make a quick recovery from this procedure which he will undergo on Monday night.

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