NRL Rd 25 - Wests Tigers v Bulldogs
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 05: Luciano Leilua of the Tigers walks off the field during the round 25 NRL match between the Wests Tigers and the Canterbury Bulldogs at Moreton Daily Stadium, on September 05, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

The North Queensland Cowboys are reportedly still holding out hope that Michael Maguire's exit from the Wests Tigers could allow Luciano Leilua to leave the club early and make the move to Townsville before the August 1 deadline.

Leilua, who is among the Tigers' best players, has already signed with the Cowboys for the 2023 season and beyond.

It's known that Leilua was close with Maguire, and now according to The Daily Telegraph, he could be in the Cowboys' targets again, although hasn't been keen to walk out on his teammates previously.

The Cowboys have expressed interest previously in securing Leilua immediately, with reports suggesting they have the salary cap space to sign him.

North Queensland's plight for another second rower has been made all the more important following an injury to Heilum Luki, sustained during Friday evening's victory over the St George Illawarra Dragons.

It has been reported that the young gun - who was in the starting team for Jeremiah Nanai, who was rested after State of Origin Game 1 on Wednesday - has injured his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season.

While Tom Gilbert has played with plenty of success on the edge this season, and Nanai is also playing excellent football, it will now leave Connelly Lemuelu and Ben Condon to squabble over the final bench spot.

The Tigers would appear unlikely to release the star forward though, with Leilua a major part of their side and likely to be extensively used for the remainder of the season as the Tigers attempt to steer themselves off the bottom of the table following just three wins across their first 12 games before they had a bye last weekend.