North Queensland prop Matt Scott will be out of action for six weeks after having surgery on his fractured cheekbone, while teammate Brent Tate is also set to go under the knife to repair a ruptured ACL.
The Queensland pair's prognoses, confirmed by the Cowboys on Friday, effectively ruled both out of the State of Origin closer in Brisbane on July 9.
Scott was forced off barely 20 minutes into Wednesday's 6-4 loss to NSW with the facial injury, which required surgery in Sydney on Friday.
The Cowboys also revealed the worst for Tate, with scans confirming a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage damage to his knee sustained in the second half of the brutal Origin II fixture at ANZ Stadium.
"Once the swelling in his knee subsides, Tate will undergo surgery," the club said on their website.
"This will occur some time in the next fortnight."
Tate, 32, is said to be considering his future at the Cowboys, with whom he is contracted until the end of 2015.
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