Young Brisbane Broncos dummy half Blake Mozer will not feature again at any level of rugby league in 2025.

The former under-19 Queensland State of Origin player has been labelled the next Cameron Smith by some judges, but has endured a season from hell.

After being sidelined during the first part of the campaign with a shoulder injury, he had to fight his way back through the QLD Cup, where he has been ever since.

However, he suffered a broken jaw recently, with the new injury all but set to rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

While there was a chance of his return to the park, that has now been wiped by the Broncos, who have elected to send him in for a shoulder reconstruction, according to a News Corp report.

The 21-year-old was always going to need surgery at the end of the year, but the broken jaw means he can have it eight weeks out from the end of the season and be close to fit by the time pre-season commences in November.

The number nine situation in Brisbane is an intriguing one.

Mozer re-signed with the club earlier this year through to the end of 2027, with the Red Hill-based outfit viewing him as the future of their number nine jumper.

Mozer’s re-signing came despite interest from other clubs where he could have potentially undertaken a quicker route to a permanent spot in an NRL side.

That may come in 2026 for the youngster anyway.

While Tyson Smoothy, Ben Hunt, Cory Paix and Billy Walters have all been used in the role this season, Smoothy will head to the English Super League at the end of the year, while Paix is unlikely to be re-signed.

Hunt and Walters could loom as the most likely duo for 2026 at the Broncos, but Walters is no guarantee of being re-signed beyond the end of 2026, while Hunt is at the back-end of his career and could retire when his contract expires at the end of 2026.

It means Mozer, if he is going to reach his potential and not be thrown into the deep end at the start of 2027, needs to find playing time in Michael Maguire’s side next season.

The Broncos, who have limited salary cap space available, also can’t afford to head to the open market and sign another player to work with Mozer in the number nine role.