Injury news: Williams, Thurston, Tanielu

North Queensland winger Ty Williams may be back in action by the first round of the Finals despite undergoing knee surgery this week.

There were fears Williams would miss the rest of the season after damaging his reconstructed knee while playing for Queensland Cup side the Young Guns last weekend. Cowboys football manager Kelly Egan says Williams will have exploratory surgery in the next few days to see whether he has suffered cartilage damage or whether he needs a full knee reconstruction.

But Egan is hopeful Williams can be back in six weeks. Williams recently made a return to the paddock after recovering from a broken leg. It is much needed good news for the Cowboys who learned this week that injured playmaker Johnathan Thurston is expected to be out for another five to seven weeks after injuring his knee.

Cowboys prop Rob Tanielu has returned to the gym for the first time since being knocked out two weeks ago.