North Queensland Cowboys' Tom Dearden remained on the field for 17 minutes after suffering an ankle injury in a controversial try-saving tackle involving Parramatta Eels' Josh Addo-Carr and Joash Papalii.

The incident has quickly become one of the major talking points from the clash, after Dearden was left in visible pain following the desperate defensive effort.

“Dearden is in despair on the ground,” caller Matt Thompson said on Nine.

Despite concerns over the severity of the injury, the Cowboys' co-captain stayed on the field and attempted to play through the pain before eventually being pulled from the game during extra time.

The tackle itself has also sparked debate, with questions raised over whether Addo-Carr should have been penalised or even sin-binned for the play. If the winger is charged by the MRC, he could face suspension and potentially place his Game One State of Origin hopes in jeopardy.

However, Phil Gould defended the nature of the tackle.

“They're trying to save the try, trying to pull him down, it's been happening for 100 years,” Gould said on Nine.

Cowboys coach Todd Payten later admitted his side mishandled the situation, revealing Dearden was effectively operating on “one leg” as the game wore on.

Payten also criticised his players for failing to adjust while their star playmaker was clearly struggling.

“I just talked to him about it, and he said he should've come off, but he wanted to run it out. The message was coming up to us, he was good to go ... he wanted to stick it out, but we all got it wrong,” he said.

The injury drama didn't stop there for the Cowboys, with hooker Soni Luke lasting just four minutes off the bench before being forced from the field after an awkward tackle.

It has now been confirmed that Luke suffered an MCL injury, with his return timeline currently unknown as he awaits scans.

It was also revealed after the match that Reed Mahoney had entered the clash under an injury cloud against his former club.

“He was in some doubt this week, too. He had an operation last weekend with an infection in his hand,” Payten said.

Cowboys and Queensland fans now anxiously await the seriousness of Dearden's injury with scans set for Sunday, which could potentially rule the star halfback out of State of Origin Game One.