Jason Taumalolo injured in Cowboys 29-10 loss to Broncos

Jason Taumalolo could be sidelined for a month after the Cowboys star’s knee buckled in North Queensland’s disastrous 29-10 derby loss to the Broncos on Friday night.

Jason Taumalolo faces a month on the sidelines. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

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Jason Taumalolo could be sidelined for a month after the Cowboys star’s knee buckled in North Queensland’s disastrous 29-10 derby loss to the Broncos on Friday night.

The Cowboys were hammered by the Tevita Pangai Jr inspired Broncos in front of 45,023 at Suncorp Stadium and could be feeling the ramifications of the defeat for a while.

Jason Taumalolo faces a month on the sidelines. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

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Taumalolo was the NRL’s best player in Round 1, leading the Cowboys to victory with an unstoppable 301m performance reminiscent of the form that made him the Dally M medallist in 2016.

But he only lasted 35 minutes on Friday night after being crunched in one of many stinging tackles by possessed Broncos hitman Pangai Jr.

Taumalolo was snapped by Pangai Jr with his first carry of the game, but soldiered on for most of the first half before succumbing to the injury.

By halftime the Cowboys had been outplayed but were hanging in the contest at 10-nil down.

Jordan Kahu’s return to Suncorp didn’t go as planned. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Taumalolo was noticeably restricted with his right knee heavily strapped, limiting him to 43m from seven carries and no tackle busts in his opening stint.

The Tongan powerhouse did not emerge from the dressing rooms after half-time, with early reports suggesting he suffered a medial ligament injury which could sideline him for up to a month.

Taumalolo is the player the Cowboys could least afford to lose given so much of their attack rolls off the back of his barnstorming runs.

He has rarely missed an NRL game over the past five years and the result of his absence last night was there to see as the Cowboys failed to fire a shot.

The Cowboys were left behind early on by the hosts. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

It was an unhappy homecoming for former Broncos players Josh McGuire, Jordan Kahu, Tom Opacic and Francis Molo in their return to Brisbane.

McGuire was outgunned by Pangai Jr in a brutal showdown between the Queensland rivals’ forward enforcers and the Cowboys also lost winger Nene Macdonald and prop John Asiata after they failed concussion tests.

Cowboys premiership players Gavin Cooper, Michael Morgan and Jake Granville could do nothing to stop Pangai Jr when he steamrolled his way over to give the Broncos a 20-0 lead early in the second half and the game was over from there.

North Queensland’s only joy came through tries to Kahu and Justin O’Neill on what was a poor night for captain Morgan at halfback.

After a 1-1 start to the season, the Cowboys will host Cronulla, Canberra and Melbourne in Townsville over the next three weeks and may have to do it without Taumalolo.