Brisbane hooker Cameron Bukowski played through the pain of a broken wrist for most of 2026, before further investigation revealed the full extent of the injury at the end of the campaign.
Bukowski, who attended the Broncos' presentation night with his right arm in a sling, had post-season surgery which included having a bone graft and pin inserted.
The 21-year-old faces a 10-week recovery before joining pre-season, when he will be elevated into the top 30 from the development list and stake his claim to be the starting No.9 in 2027.
AAP has been told Bukowski sustained the wrist injury before he made his NRL debut in the round-seven clash with Wests Tigers, where he threw 49 elite passes including the one from which Adam Reynolds landed the winning field goal. In photos from that night his right wrist is strapped.
Bukowski played the rest of the season strongly with Wynnum Manly in the Queensland Cup before undergoing surgery.
He is one of five hookers at the club ahead of next season where Cory Paix, Billy Walters, Blake Mozer and Ben Hunt, who can also play in the halves, will compete for spots as the Broncos aim to rise from their disappointing 14th-placed finish.
Brisbane lock Pat Carrigan and Bukowski returned to their junior club Easts Tigers recently to recognise where it all began for them as NRL players.
Carrigan has a high opinion of the younger man and said he had already shown admirable qualities.
View this post on Instagram
"I love Bukers. His journey's been quite similar," Carrigan said.
"He's worked really hard over the last couple of years to not only put himself in a position to be a full-time first-grader, but also to play and play quite well, like we saw against the Wests Tigers.
"He's still a kid, but his skill set and desire to work on his physicality in the Queensland Cup are big positives, especially playing with our number nines who love to get physical. We've got some of those at the moment, like Cory Paix.
"He's got a huge future at the club and I'm just really happy his hard work has paid off."
Former Gold Coast captain and hooker Nathan Friend, whose son Axel is in the Broncos academy and has trained alongside Bukowski in the past, also has a high opinion of the young gun.
"I have watched Cam closely and he has all the attributes of a great nine. He can read the game, tackles well and he has all the skills," Friend told AAP.
"I can't speak highly enough of how humble he is as well."
