'Pain off the charts' as Cowboys five-eighth Tom Dearden suffers ruptured testicle
North Queensland five-eighth Tom Dearden is unlikely to feature in this week's game against Souths after rupturing a testicle last week.
"Tom Dearden suffered a ruptured testicle in Friday night's win over the Warriors," the club said in a statement.
"Dearden had surgery on Saturday afternoon and the club is hopeful he will return to play before the finals."
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Dearden's condition wasn't immediately obvious; the 21-year-old played the full 80 minutes and scored a second half double as the Cowboys racked up a 48-4 win.
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Brien Seeney, better known as NRL Physio on social media, said that Dearden would likely make a full recovery.
"Pain obviously off the charts - thankfully if treatment performed within 2-3 days 90% make a full recovery with no long term implications," he wrote.
"2-4 weeks is the usual return to play range. Meaning best case he's back in 2 weeks."
The Cowboys have secured a top four spot, but a single slip up could cost them second place, where they currently sit.
Cowboys five-eighth Tom Dearden. Getty
With games against both of last year's grand finalists still on the cards, they would have loved to have been as close to full-strength as possible.
Dearden is a contender for the most-improved player in the NRL this year, as a resurgent Cowboys continue to shock a fair chunk of fans and experts alike, who had them pegged for a finish near the bottom of the table.
The former Bronco struggled initially when he was thrown in to first grade as a teenager, but has thrived under Todd Payten this year.
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