The Broncos’ horror season has been dealt another cruel blow, with Preston Riki becoming the latest Brisbane star ruled out for the rest of 2026. The 28-year-old requires season-ending surgery on a syndesmosis injury and has been replaced by eight-game middle forward Va’a Semu for Saturday night’s NRL home game against Newcastle.
Riki hobbled from the field after suffering an ankle injury in last weekend’s 18-10 loss to the Cowboys that all but ended Brisbane’s faint NRL finals hopes. And he was spotted wearing a moon boot at Broncos training on Tuesday, before the club confirmed that Riki would require season-ending surgery to fix the syndesmosis issue.
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire (L) has handed Broncos young gun Va’a Semu (R) a start at prop after another season-ending blow for one of his forwards. Pic: Getty
It’s understood the 28-year-old will go under the knife this week, joining fellow Brisbane middle forward Corey Jensen on the sideline for the rest of the season. Brisbane revealed earlier this month that Jensen would need to take a blood thinner for the next six months to treat blood clots on his lung.
The premiership-winning forward is prevented from doing contact work during that time. And Broncos club doctor Matt Hislop said there was a chance Jensen may have to be on blood thinners for the rest of his life – throwing his NRL future into serious doubt.
Preston Riki (R) has joined teammate Corey Jensen (L) as the latest Brisbane Broncos player to suffer a season-ending issue. Pic: Getty
Maguire’s defending premiers have been rocked by injuries this season, with 14 players all missing at one stage during the height of the crisis. And after seeing their premiership defence all but extinguished against North Queensland last week, Brisbane have been forced into yet another reshuffle following the Riki news.
Young gun Va’a Semu handed start in front-row
Young gun Semu has been named to start at prop alongside Payne Haas for the Suncorp Stadium showdown against the Knights. It provides Broncos fans with a glimpse into their future, with Semu expected to feature more prominently next year after Haas leaves for Souths.
And rep star Patrick Carrigan says he can’t wait to see the 194cm, 110kg giant front-rower given his latest crack against the Knights. “He’s a young kid and, as a front-rower, he’s serving a pretty good apprenticeship under Payne at the moment,” the Brisbane lock said.
Emerging prop Va’a Semu gets another opportunity to impress at prop after being named to start alongside Payne Haas for Saturday night’s game against Newcastle. Pic: Getty
“He’s only 22 years old and has a lot of growth ahead of him. I’m excited for him. He’s worked really hard. He’s a good young kid who ticks all the right boxes and doesn’t leave any stone unturned.”
Perth-bound centre Gehamat Shibasaki (knee) will also be missing from the Brisbane side to face the Knights, with Grant Anderson coming into the side on the wing and Deine Mariner shifting to centre. Billy Walters has also been promoted to the No.14 jersey ahead of Ben Hunt (No.17), to share hooking duties with Cory Paix.
with AAP