GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 22: Scott Drinkwater of the Storm runs with the ball during the NRL Trial Match between the Melbourne Storm and the New Zealand Warriors at GMHBA Stadium on February 22, 2019 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Storm fullback Scott Drinkwater is set to make a mid-season switch to North Queensland, according to ESPN.
The Cowboys currently face an injury crisis in their backline, with Jordan Kahu also unlikely to play this weekend against Manly after suffering a shoulder injury.
This could give Drinkwater a debut for his new club, if an agreement is struck in time.
Kahu went down during last week's win over Gold Coast, with coach Paul Green waiting on scan results to fully assess the extent of the Kiwi international's injury.
The 28-year-old joins an injury list which already includes Nene Macdonald (ankle), Justin O'Neill (ruptured spleen), Gideon Gela-Mosby (broken collarbone) and Te Maire Martin (brain bleed).
While a deal for Drinkwater has not been finalised, the 22-year-old has caught the eye of the Cowboys' coach.
"He's a pretty good player yeah," Green said.
"He had a very good year at Q Cup last year ... he was probably one of the form players from that competition."