COWBOYS coach Paul Green says the severity of Johnathan Thurston’s calf injury still hasn’t been fully clarified but the superstar half is expected to miss at least the next fortnight and up to a month.

It comes at a bad time for the club, with fellow key position players Jake Granville and Lachlan Coote also injured and Thurston’s co-captain Matt Scott out for the season.

Speaking on Fox Sports’ NRL 360, Green threw up former Storm utility Ben Hampton and young unknown Kyle Laybutt as Thurston’s likely replacement but according to Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper the 21-year-old will get the call up.

With Granville not set to return until round nine at the earliest and Ray Thompson also in the casualty ward, Hampton will likely stay at hooker, pitchforking the rookie, who comes from the same junior club as Coen Hess, into the No.7 jersey.

Round 19

Live stream the all 26 rounds of the NRL Premiership on FOX SPORTS. Get your free 2-week FOXTEL PLAY trial and start watching in minutes. SIGN UP NOW!

“We’ve seen Coen Hess really take the NRL by storm this season so this young man Kyle Laybutt, he’s only 21 years of age, he’s been in the Cowboys side for a little while and he’s most likely to get an opportunity,” Hooper told NRL Tonight.

Although throwing an inexperienced player like Laybutt into Thurston’s shoes would be a massive ask, Green said it could be compensated for by the remaining senior players, with Michael Morgan, Gavin Cooper and returning Justin O’Neill expected to step up.

Catch all the latest rugby league news in Media Watch!

TIGERS GO AFTER REYNOLDS

He’s made it clear his heart lies with the Bulldogs, but for the second week in a row Josh Reynolds has emerged on a rival club’s hit list.

Off-contract at the end of this season and with Des Hasler chasing some big names to bolster his spine, the future for the former NSW No.6 is uncertain.

Last week Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan met with the feisty five-eighth and according to The Daily Telegraph , the West Tigers have joined the queue for Reynolds’ signature.

Josh Reynolds is attracting interest at several of the Bulldogs’ rivals. Source: AAP

Mitchell Moses will leave the club at the end of this season, if not earlier and new Tigers coach Ivan Cleary has reportedly turned his attention to the open market in his search for a replacement.

According to the report, the Tigers have initiated talks with Reynolds’ management and also have Gareth Widdop on their radar to partner Luke Brooks in 2018.

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Storm football manager Frank Ponissi to discuss the bombshell Cooper Cronk news and what it means for the club.

You can also subscribe via iTunes or for Android users, listen on the iPP Podcast Player app.

FORAN COULD LAND AT STORM

Just two weeks into his NRL return with the Warriors, Kieran Foran is already showing signs of recapturing his best form and that’s set to have a big impact on the player market.

Foran is off contract at the end of this season, and although the Warriors are keen to keep him, a return to Sydney to be closer to his kids has been thrown up as a likely scenario.

That potentially puts him on the radar of Canterbury and the Wests Tigers but according to NRL 360 co-host and The Daily Telegraph columnist Paul Kent, the Storm have emerged as contenders to land him.

“It makes perfect sense for Melbourne,” Kent told NRL 360.

“They’re a big picture club, they are there to win, they’ve lost Cooper Cronk which immediately frees up a stack of money, Tohu Harris is also gone and then Jordan McLean is also gone for next season, so there’s a stack of money there in the cap.

“Kieran Foran buys straight into the Melbourne Storm philosophy of the way they play football where they’ve built this recent success on the back of three players, Cronk, Smith and Slater, Bromwich too to be fair, and they build the rest of the club around them.”

BRONCOS CLOSE IN ON BIRD

Jack Bird is another playmaker in hot demand, with the Broncos the latest club to swoop in to make an offer.

Brisbane have reportedly offered a three-year deal worth in excess of $1 million-a-season, making a move north a highly attractive option.

Bird’s not short of suitors with the Sharks also tabling a competitive offer to try and keep him and the Knights hoping to make him the centre of a huge rebuild, alongside young prodigy Kalyn Ponga.

Josh McGuire on Monday told Fox Sports News 500 Bird would be a great fit at the club and according to Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper, the Broncos are now favourites to get their way.

“I think we’ll have to see a decision this week because it’s dragged on so long now and it really is in danger of becoming a little bit of a circus,” Hooper told NRL Tonight.

“ ... Jack Bird met with Wayne Bennett up in Brisbane about three or four weeks ago and the thing with Wayne Bennett is, when he wants to go aggressively into the market after a player, once he meets with them he normally does a pretty good sell job so I would be thinking the Brisbane Broncos are in the box seat at the moment.”

McGuire agrees that Bennett is the trump card in the battle for Bird’s signature.

“In my opinion he’s probably the greatest coach of all-time and he still has that about him that attracts players,” McGuire said.

“I’m staying here for another four years because I love the club and I love playing for Wayne and I’m sure other players are no different.”

MALONEY FIRMS FOR ROOS

Thurston’s calf injury could force a reshuffle to the Kangaroos’ spine for the trans-Tasman Test on May 5, with Fairfax Media reporting James Maloney will be the likely benefactor.

If Cooper Cronk’s regular halves partner for Australia is unable to prove his fitness early enough to be considered for the clash with the Kiwis, Maloney’s incumbency as part of last year’s Four Nations squad is likely to give him the nod, according to the report.

After playing a key role in Cronulla’s first premiership last year, Maloney has opened the 2017 season in solid form.

James Maloney runs the ball in his one start for the Kangaroos. Source: Getty Images

Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has previously indicated selectors would primarily stick with the squad that won last year’s end of season international tournament and confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that Maloney was in the frame.

“Jimmy’s (form) has been great and he played alongside Cooper in the Scotland game in the Four Nations and he sat on the bench for the New Zealand game and he got on in the second half,” Meninga said.

“So he is very capable and it gives us an opportunity to look beyond this year when we look at the Kangaroos.”