North Queensland star Luke O'Donnell rushed to Melbourne yesterday for an urgent consultation with the surgeon who saved his career by sewing his hamstring back on to the bone a year ago.

O'Donnell broke down in Saturday night's game against the Warriors in Townsville with what Cowboys officials described as a hip-flexor injury. But, with the injury on the same side of the body as the hamstring that was ripped from the bone in a controversial "wishbone" tackle by Wests Tigers players in a round-four game last season, there was enough concern for the club to seek an assessment from a specialist.

The Herald spoke to O'Donnell while he was at Brisbane Airport changing flights. He said he was optimistic the damage was in the hip area rather than a recurrence of the hamstring problem that abruptly ended his 2007 season, but that he needed to find out for sure.

"The [club] doctor had a chat with the surgeon, and the club arranged for me to head straight to Melbourne today, to sort it out," O'Donnell said. "I'll be seeing the surgeon tomorrow, and he'll do some scans to see exactly what the problem is. If they need to go in there to fix something, then I'll have an arthroscopy as soon as possible and hopefully only be out for a few weeks."

O'Donnell said he was hurt when tackled early in the Cowboys' 48-20 win that stretched their winning streak to three games after they had lost their first three of the season. But, he added, the pain wasn't nearly as bad as the agony he endured when his legs were pulled in different directions against the Tigers. O'Donnell did not suggest the tackle in which he was hurt this time was anything other than a regulation one.

"I felt a bit of a pop when I got tackled, but it wasn't anything like the pain I felt before," he said. "I stayed on the field, but it just got worse and worse every time I ran. The trainers were trying to get me through to half-time, but I had to come off a few minutes before the break because I was becoming a liability. I didn't go back on after that.

"It's definitely related to what happened last year. It's in the left hip-hamstring area. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where the pain is coming from, but it seems mainly in the hip. I'm hoping it's something I did to the hip when I got hurt last year that has just been lingering and now it's come out. I'm optimistic that, if I need an arthroscopy, it just clears something up that's been there all along. It doesn't feel like it's anything as drastic as before.

"I was told to expect a bit of soreness for the first six to eight games after I came back. That's only natural. The actual repair of the hamstring should be pretty strong, but I've been having a bit of a problem with the muscles around that trying to compensate. I've been getting through games, but some weeks have been harder than others.

"Hopefully, this is just a bit of a setback and I can get it fixed. It's important that I see the surgeon so we can find out as soon as possible."

Lock O'Donnell broke into the Australian team in 2005 and the NSW team the following year, but last year's injury interrupted his representative career and now he will be unavailable for the Test against New Zealand at the SCG on May 9. The Australian team is picked after next weekend's round. But he said he had already accepted that and would instead concentrate on getting himself right to resume for the Cowboys.

Meanwhile, Brisbane fullback Karmichael Hunt, who was hurt in the 26-24 loss to Gold Coast at Skilled Park on Friday night, is also out of the running for the Australian team after he visited orthopedic surgeon Peter Myers yesterday and was ruled out for two to three weeks with soft-tissue damage to his knee. Hunt, who has played seven Tests, won't require an operation.

And a possible "chicken wing" tackle by North Queensland hooker Aaron Payne on Warriors winger Manu Vatuvei will be looked at by the league's match review committee today.