THE Cowboys will subject Matthew Bowen to a series of medical tests to determine whether he secures a new deal at the club - or is forced into retirement.

As he prepares for tonight's showdown against Canberra in Townsville, Bowen pledged to be honest with himself and the Cowboys as he weighs up the prospect of his battle-weary frame surviving another NRL season in 2014.

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The Cowboys have launched a multi-million dollar retention drive in recent months, successfully offering new deals to key quartet Johnathan Thurston, James Tamou, Matt Scott and rising playmaker Michael Morgan.

But Bowen still remains a free agent for next season, sparking fears North Queensland's most-capped player could be squeezed out due to salary-cap pressures and his ongoing injury battles.

At 31, Bowen's mind is telling him to play on in 2014. But his ageing body is more problematic and the former Queensland Origin flyer must convince Cowboys medicos he is healthy enough to warrant a new deal.

Cowboys hierarchy faces an agonising contractual decision on Bowen because he is a popular clubman, a home-grown hero and a blue-chip promotional poster-boy with north Queensland's large Indigenous community.

Bowen has had a slow start as he battles a knee problem that ruled him out of the Cowboys' derby clash against the Broncos a fortnight ago and admits he is now contemplating retiring.

"Hopefully I can sort out my future soon, but I am having a long think about things and whether I still want to play on," said Bowen, who plays his 257th top-grade game tonight against the Raiders.

"The body feels alright, but sometimes I get sore after games. I'll be honest with myself. Footy isn't everything. I want to be able to walk properly and do things with my kids after football.

"It would be hard to do it (retire). 'Parry' (recruitment chief Peter Parr) and 'King' (coach Neil Henry) aren't putting pressure on me. They are leaving it up to me to call it quits. I will know when I want to finish."

Speculation suggests Bowen is unhappy with the Cowboys putting talks on hold, although Parr said yesterday the fullback had not raised the issue with club management.

The Cowboys recruitment boss said Bowen's body will ultimately determine his future at the club. He has undergone two knee reconstructions, and most recently off-season shoulder surgery, injuries that have seen Bowen placed on a modified training program.

"Obviously we understand what Matthew has done for the club and his standing not only within the club but the community," Parr said.

"We know he can't play forever, as much as we'd love him to. If the view of the medical staff is that he can continue on, then we would happily give him an extended contract, but everyone involved needs to be convinced of that first.

"We will treat him with the utmost respect. But we need to be certain Matt can continue on given the maintenance involved with his knees and more importantly he needs to be convinced that he can do that and be able to do the training that is required."

Parr insisted the Cowboys still had room in the salary cap to accommodate Bowen if he proved his fitness.

"I'd be surprised if we couldn't sort out the financial side of the equation," Parr said. "We've budgeted to keep him, we haven't discussed any figures with his manager but at the end of the day the financial side is not the issue.

"Matthew needs to be sure in his mind that his body can continue on."