The NRL will be forced to grant the Broncos an exemption to break player rules for their clash with the Bulldogs on Friday night amid the club’s incredible injury crisis. And it means a former Panthers player is in line to make his Brisbane debut.
Michael Maguire’s side have been struck by an unprecedented injury crisis, with Payne Haas, Corey Jensen, Kotoni Staggs and Jesse Arthars all joining the list of players sidelined. Haas is out 6-8 weeks with a knee injury, while Jensen has been hospitalised with a blood clot on his lung and is out ‘indefinitely’.
Former Panthers player Preston Riki (R) could be in line to make his Broncos debut. Image: Getty
Staggs has a foot strain and Arthars a leg issue, while Reece Walsh (cheekbone), Ben Hunt (knee), Grant Anderson (knee), Aublix Tawha (cheekbone), Billy Walters (knee), Blake Mozer (jaw) and Delouise Hoiter (leg) are all still out. To make matters worse, Pat Carrigan is still suspended and Ben Te Kura has been granted time away to chase his NFL dream.
In better news, hooker Cory Paix is back on deck after missing last week’s win against the Tigers due to concussion. But the Broncos will still need to use at least two players from outside their top-30 squad to field a 19-man team against the Bulldogs.
Under NRL rules, teams can’t use players from outside the top-30 until Round 11. However the NRL will be forced to grant the Broncos an exemption, just like they did for Souths to use Ashton Ward and Matt Dufty this year.
Preston Riki is on a train-and-trial deal with the Broncos.
(Getty Images)Preston Riki in line to make Broncos debut
It means former Panthers player Preston Riki will likely be named to make his Broncos debut after switching to Brisbane in the off-season. Riki has been plying his trade for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup after signing a train-and-trial deal with the Broncos last off-season.
Tellingly, he was pulled from last weekend’s Seagulls game – likely to keep him on ice to play first-grade this week. Riki has three games of NRL experience after debuting for the Panthers in 2024, and played in Round 26 last year when Penrith rested the majority of their NRL team. He also played for the Maori All-Stars in 2023.
Hayze Perham will likely start at fullback on Friday night, with young gun Antonio Verhoeven set to play in the outside backs. Xavier Willison and Ben Talty are in line to start in the front-row for Haas and Jensen, while Jack Gosiewski could start at lock. Forwards Va’a Semu and Jaiyden Hunt are likely to be included in the squad alongside players like Tom Duffy and Josh Rogers.