The young has been tipped to have a bright future in Brisbane.
But the premiers had a plethora of hooking options at their disposal this year, and were understood to be open to loaning Mozer out to a rival NRL club in 2026 to give him valuable first-grade playing experience. The 21-year-old rake was in the battle to become Brisbane’s first-choice rake at the start of the year but suffered an injury in pre-season that scuppered his hopes.
He was also bothered by a shoulder complaint throughout the season that hampered his development and didn’t end up featuring in a single game for Michael Maguire’s side in 2025. It leaves Mozer with only nine NRL games to his name since he debuted for Brisbane in 2023.
But while the Broncos were flushed with dummy-halves in their squad this year, next season will be a different story for Maguire’s premiers. With Tyson Smoothy moving to the English Super League in 2026 and Walters suffering a season-ending ACL injury during Brisbane’s finals campaign last month, suddenly the club’s hooking stocks are looking much thinner.
And according to News Corp, the injury to Walters has forced the Broncos into a major rethink about loaning Mozer out to a rival club in 2026. The report says the 21-year-old will remain at the club next season and battle with veteran Ben Hunt and Cory Paix for dummy-half roles at the start of the year, with Walters likely to be sidelined for the first part of the season.
Blake Mozer to battle for dummy-half role at Brisbane in 2026
Hunt is expected to shift into the No.9 role permanently when Brisbane are at full strength in 2026, with Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds the first-choice halves pairing. It means Mozer could once again find himself in a battle for the other hooking role with Paix, who had a superb season for Brisbane this year and started at No.9 in their grand final victory over Melbourne.
Paix was also being tipped for a Broncos exit in 2026 before Kobe Hetherington agreed to join Manly on a four-year deal from next season. It allowed Maguire’s men to extend Paix, along with teammates Jack Gosiewski and Cory Jensen. Mozer also re-signed with the Broncos for a further two seasons earlier in the year.
The battle for dummy-half spots will heat up again in earnest though when Walters returns from his ACL injury. His recovery time is expected to be around nine months after surgery, meaning Walters will likely miss a solid portion of games at the start of the year and return mid-season.
Walters was devastated to miss out on playing in Brisbane’s grand final triumph, but said being invited on stage and lifting the premiership trophy alongside Reynolds was just as special. “I was pretty devo that I wasn’t going to get a ring… but that’s probably even a better result because I’ll probably never get to raise a trophy like that as a captain,” he said at the time. “It’s 10 times better than getting a ring.”
