The North Queensland Cowboys have beaten the Brisbane Broncos in another epic Queensland derby but they have paid a heavy price.

In a brutal match, the Cowboys may have lost Matt Scott, Antonio Winterstein and Lachlan Coote for extended periods.

State of Origin prop Matt Scott has reportedly suffered an ACL injury which will be the end of his season. Already short on big men after the off-season departures of James Tamou and Ben Hannant, the loss of Scott would be a major blow to the Cowboys.

To make matters worse, star Kiwi forward Jason Taumalolo will likely come under scrutiny from the match review committee after he was penalised for a shoulder charge on Broncos forward Alex Glenn.

Winterstein, who missed the Round 1 match, was another early casualty when he left the field early in the match with an arm injury. He’ll have scans to confirm but he has a suspected fractured arm.

It’s likely that it won’t just be one new addition to the backline though for the Cowboys, with Lachlan Coote also being injured during the match. A suspected torn calf to Coote will be another blow.

Unlike Scott, the Cowboys have plenty of cover for Coote and Winterstein with the likes of Javid Bowen, Kalyn Ponga and Gideon Gela-Mosby.