Brisbane forward Kobe Hetherington is set to miss the early rounds of the 2023 NRL season after rupturing his biceps doing chin-ups in the gym at training on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old had surgery on Wednesday and his father, former Canterbury and Queensland hooker Jason Hetherington, will drive him to the family home in Gladstone on Thursday to recuperate before he begins his rehabilitation.
Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard said "the surgery went well" and the club would support Hetherington in his recovery
Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth suffered a similar injury to Kobe's in June 2022 and was back to his best at the Rugby League World Cup for England four months later.
"Kobe did the injury in the gym doing weighted chin-ups," Jason Hetherington told AAP on Friday.
"I flew down to Brisbane this afternoon and Gilly (former Broncos forward Trevor Gillmeister) picked me and Kobe up from the hospital and I will drive him back to Gladstone in his car tomorrow morning.
"Kobe is upset because he has had such a good pre-season and trained hard, but it is what it is. It will be a three or four-month (recovery) I reckon."
Kobe had a breakout season in 2022 where he played 22 games as a regular member of the playing 17. He signed a two-year extension with the Broncos until the end of 2025 in November.
Jason said the blessing was that the injury happened in the off-season and Farnworth had shown it was no impediment to returning at his best.
"With things like this, you have always got to find the positives and not the negatives," he said.
"It is all character and resilience building and it is how you deal with it.
"The other positive is that it wasn't his wheels. When it is your legs it is always harder. One thing about Kobe is that he will stay positive. He will rip in. He will be right."
Kobe Hetherington is a chip off the old block when it comes to his pedigree.
Jason was as tough as they come and came back from four shoulder reconstructions, including a shoulder dislocation in 1999 that kept him out for nine months.
Kobe will have the best of care at home in Central Queensland.
"Kobe will spend Christmas up there with us," Jason said.
"His mum can buy him a little bell and when he needs something he can rattle it."
