North Queensland appear to have avoided a hooking crisis with encouraging medical updates on Aaron Payne and back-up No.9 James Segeyaro for their NRL showdown with South Sydney.

Instead of weighing up options for a third dummy half against the free-spirited Rabbitohs after Segeyaro joined Payne on the injured list, the club is hoping one, if not both, will be available this weekend.

Segeyaro was rated better than 50-50 on Monday after turning his ankle in the 34-16 loss to Brisbane on Friday night.

The news was even better on Payne, initially diagnosed at 2-6 weeks after fracturing his eye socket in a nasty collision with backrower Joel Riethmuller seven days ago.

With the swelling subsiding over the weekend Payne is now rated an outside chance of playing on Friday night.

"We're a chance of having at least one of them back," said a Cowboys official on Monday.

Segeyaro caused Brisbane some headaches out of dummy half in the first half and started the second half well before being injured.

Despite losing to Brisbane the Cowboys came out of the weekend in fourth spot, one point ahead of St George Illawarra who missed their chance to climb back into the top four with a shock loss to the under-strength Sydney Roosters.

The looming clash offers two entertaining match ups between Johnathan Thurston and Chris Sandow in the halves and fullbacks Matt Bowen and try-scoring machine Nathan Merritt who has eight tries from his past two games.

Meanwhile it was a pretty good news day all round for the Cowboys who secured a new two-year deal with former Tully junior Riethmuller until 2012.

A late bloomer, the 26 year-old only made his NRL debut this season against Manly at Brookvale Oval in round 14.

"It's good to have something secured and to know where I'm headed," Riethmuller said.

"I would have been stoked with one NRL game, but I've played four.

"This definitely gives me something to look forward to.

"I know that next year if I train hard, and play well, hopefully I'll get a few more games.

"I think coming home has helped improve my footy and I wouldn't have got this opportunity if I hadn't come back home."

Riethmuller's signing adds to the backrow depth which also includes representative forward Dallas Johnson, boom youngster Tariq Sims, Gavin Cooper, Glenn Hall, Scott Bolton, Cory Paterson, Dane Hogan, Blake Leary, Ricky Thorby and NYC star Jason Taumalolo.

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