NRL 2021: North Queensland linked with Adam Reynolds as Michael Morgan edges toward retirement

North Queensland have all but accepted Michael Morgan will retire from the NRL — and it’s set to give the club a massive war chest.

North Queensland Cowboys against St George Illawarra at Queensland Country Bank Stadium. Cowboys Michael Morgan after the game. Picture: Evan Morgan

North Queensland have made inquiries with the NRL’s salary-cap auditor in a sign star playmaker Michael Morgan is on the brink of an early retirement.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the Cowboys are exploring a number of options with the NRL, including having Morgan medically retired with a $2.5 million payout following the latest shoulder setback that is set to end his career.

It is understood fresh scans showed a screw inserted into Morgan’s reconstructed shoulder had snapped in his side’s 25-18 loss to the Dragons in round two — ruling him out of last week’s loss to the Titans and this Saturday’s clash against Cronulla.

North Queensland have yet to formalise any retirement announcement, but sources close to Morgan believe the Cowboys’ 2015 premiership hero will not play in the NRL again.

Morgan was in the Cowboys’ rehabilitation group on Wednesday. The co-captain has visited three separate doctors to find a solution to his chronic shoulder problem, but has told Cowboys insiders he has accepted that retirement is a reality.

That has prompted Cowboys hierarchy to reach out to the NRL’s salary-cap team, who have previously rubber-stamped medical-retirement payouts for Souths duo Greg Inglis and Sam Burgess.

Morgan is on $1 million a season and has two-and-a-half years left to run on his five-year, $5 million deal.

Should the NRL approve Morgan’s medical retirement, the Cowboys would have $1 million to spend in their salary cap at a time when the club is being linked to off-contract Souths halfback Adam Reynolds.

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Cowboys co-captain Michael Morgan is tipped to retire as he battles a chronic shoulder injury.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten also held talks with off-contract Broncos playmaker Tom Dearden in Townsville in February as he searches for a replacement for Newcastle-bound Jake Clifford next season.

Now the Cowboys are resigned to losing Morgan for good, although North Queensland chiefs remain tight-lipped about talk of the Queensland Origin ace being forced into a shock retirement.

“I don’t want to comment on that (his future),” Cowboys football-operations chief Micheal Luck said.

“Michael wasn’t named (on Tuesday), his shoulder wasn’t good enough to be named this weekend.

“We are no different to what we were this time last week, ‘Morgo’ is in the rehab group at training and hopefully his shoulder improves, but at this stage it hasn’t.”

It could be all over for Michael Morgan. Picture: Evan Morgan

A chronic shoulder problem forced Burgess into retirement in 2019 and Morgan is reluctant to be a burden on the Cowboys if he attempted to play through the pain barrier for another two years.

The 29-year-old has had a superb career, amassing 168 NRL games, 12 Tests for Australia and 12 Origin matches for Queensland since his Cowboys debut in 2010.

Luck said the Cowboys are keeping a close eye on the player market amid reports North Queensland are ramping-up a poaching bid for Souths skipper Reynolds.

“Until we sign a halfback, we are going to be linked with everyone,” he said.

“I am not interested in giving blow-by-blow accounts but every halfback who is off-contract, we are discussing.

“We were always going to wait a while and give the incumbents a first chance to impress, but we also have an obligation to build our roster and that means looking at every option.

“Fortunately there are some good options on the market for next year.”