Macdonald was in a recovery moon boot on Monday, with the Dragons waiting for swelling to subside before undergoing scans to determine the extend of his injury. 

Fans feared a long-term injury when Macdonald was quick to pull his boot off on the sideline, after limping off 10 minutes before half-time, with utility Kurt Mann taking over on the wing in the 20-16 loss to the Tigers, which saw the Dragons dip to third on the NRL ladder.

“Nene Macdonald suffered a foot sprain … the severity of the injury is yet to be determined,” a Dragons statement said. 

“Macdonald remains in a moon boot, with the best course of action to be determined as the injury settles over the coming days.”

Macdonald has scored nine tries this season, one fewer than club leaders Matt Dufty and Euan Aitken, while captain Gareth Widdop is the competition’s leading pointscorer with 178.

The Dragons have lost their past two games to concede top spot on the NRL ladder, including a 52-30 defeat to the Storm without their State of Origin representatives.

They face a trick three weeks ahead, with a trip to Townsville to play the battling Cowboys on Saturday night, then showdowns with potential finals rivals the Roosters and Warriors. The Dragons have not won in North Queensland since 2005, though remarkably it only means four consecutive losses in 13 years.

Dragons’ Origin prop Paul Vaughan – who won the series alongside Tyson Frizell, Jack de Belin and Tariq Sims for NSW against club teammate Ben Hunt and Queensland – is expected to be fit for Cowboys game.

“[Vaughan's] just got a cork so he's OK,” McGregor said after the Tigers loss.

“Losing Nene at that time of the game was a pretty big loss, he's a big body at the back of the field.

“It reshuffled our line a fair bit. I'm not sure [what's wrong] he'll go for a scan and it could be a week or a month or the season depending on how serious it is, whether it needs an operation or just needs a rest.”