Bicep injury ends Morgan’s season

MICHAEL Morgan will miss the rest of the season with a torn bicep, but Lachlan Coote has pushed his case for an NRL recall as the Cowboys desperately try to rescue their fading finals hopes.

Morgan confirmed his season is over after tearing his bicep while trying to stop a breakaway try from Roger Tuivasa- Sheck in Friday’s 23- 16 loss to the Warriors.

The Queensland Origin star will have surgery this week in another cruel injury blow for the Cowboys after losing off- contract prop Sam Hoare to a season- ending ACL rupture late in the game.

Co- captain Matt Scott was also a late scratching against the Warriors after he re- aggravated a neck injury and it remains unclear how long he’ll be sidelined.

Cowboys backrower Coen Hess admitted it was tough to lose Morgan, but he felt they still had their chances to chase down the Warriors which was the most disappointing part.

“It was obviously tough when you lose a guy in the backs because it’s a hard position to fill, but no excuses. The guys who went back there did well,” Hess said.

“Our second half was really good. I thought some patches there was probably the best footy we’ve played all year.

“We were reading their body language and we could tell they were hurting a lot more than us and we definitely had the momentum and we were doing everything with a lot of intent.

“Credit to them, they held us back, but coming so close and not getting the reward was probably the most disappointing thing.”

The Cowboys now need to win their remaining nine games just to scrape into the top eight, leaving coach Paul Green with a big decision to make on his fullback for the rest of the season.

Ben Hampton filled the role in Morgan’s absence against the Warriors and played the first five games of the season in the No. 1 jersey while Coote was sidelined with a calf injury.

Coote was the first- choice custodian before Morgan was shifted to the back in an effort to spark their sputtering attack and he’s been impressive for Mackay in the Queensland Cup.

The veteran of 164 NRL games produced two try assists and three linebreak assists as the last- placed Cutters almost pulled off an upset against the in- form Townsville Blackhawks on Saturday night.

The Cowboys face the prospect of missing the finals for the first time since 2010, but Hess was adamant their only focus was the next game against South Sydney in Cairns after the Origin bye.

“We’ve got to show up with the right mindset every week and whatever happens, happens. We just need to get a win,” he said.