The numbers six and seven shirts became vacant in the space of seconds last night when Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam busted their hamstrings chasing after a Xavier Coates interception.
Both took no further part in the 22-2 loss to Melbourne Storm on Thursday night, whilst winger Selwyn Cobbo also needed assistance to leave the field after being unable to stand on his right leg following his own potentially severe hamstring injury.
Broncos head coach Michael Maguire said in the post-game press conference that it was too early to assess both the length of absences for his injured halves let alone think about who would take their place next week at home to the Dolphins.
“I just spoke to the three of them. We have to go and get our scans and got through the process, the severity of them,” Maguire said.
“But they are all three hamstrings, which is quite strange because the boys are pretty measured about what they do with the players throughout the week.
“There’s no real evidence of what has happened, but we will dig in and have a look."
Scans on Friday revealed that Adam Reynolds is likely to be out for a period of about 3-4 weeks, whilst Mam and Cobbo experienced harsher injuries and will be fighting to play any further part in the Broncos' campaign.
Needing to think on his feet with what he said was a completely unique and unprecedented circumstance (losing both halves to injury in one game let alone one minute), Maguire shifted Kotoni Staggs and Ben Hunt to five-eighth and halfback respectively, though the makeshift pair were unable to produce any line break assists despite their best efforts.
Whilst understandably disappointed and bemused by what played out on Thursday night, Maguire backed his squad to fill the void, saying the team "will be right. We've got people in the background that can come in."
It's almost certain that Staggs will be returning to the centres next week and so Maguire is going to have to promote at least one new player, which has sparked debate about who is the most suitable candidate(s).
Jock Madden
The specialist half is yet to play an NRL game in 2025 and has signed on to return to the Wests Tigers in 2026 but has made a timely recovery from a pectoral injury suffered in May and is therefore one of the most likely to slot in, boasting experience in both the five-eighth and halfback positions throughout his 32 first-grade games.
Ben Hunt
Although used as a hooker throughout 2025 by Maguire, the 35-year-old is by far the most experienced halfback of the Broncos squad, playing more than two-thirds of his 348 NRL games at halfback.
After what he described as "a couple of chaotic sets" following the dual injuries, Hunt was able to settle the restructured team and produce what was a spirited second half, albeit one plagued by turnover and poor set completion.
The Broncos have plenty of depth in the hooker position such as Cory Paix, who was the first choice number nine at the start of the year, as well as Tyson Smoothy and Blake Mozer.
They could therefore afford to shift Hunt out of the number nine jersey to a role where he may be needed more.
Coby Black
Black has been touted as a long-term successor to the 35-year-old Reynolds since starring for Queensland's Under-19s team in his second successive underage State of Origin series.
Five tries and eight assists from 15 Queensland Cup games for the Souths Logan Magpies is some pretty impressive numbers for a halfback let alone a 19-year-old.
The carelessness and audacity of youth could be a great asset or a great liability at the business end of year for a team still trying to secure a top-four place let alone greater ambitions, so Maguire may have a difficult decision to make about whether it's worth risking Black or instead opting for one of his many more experienced options.
Anthony Milford
Black's halves partner at the Magpies has been 31-year-old Anthony Milford, who last played for the Broncos against the Dolphins in Round 13 last year and has more than 160 games of NRL experience as a five-eighth.
But he presents a similar risk to that of Black, which is that Maguire already has backups who have been training with the squad throughout the year and are therefore intimately familiar with his style and his gameplan.
Billy Walters
An outside chance but not without a chance, nonetheless.
Walters filled Hunt's spot at hooker when Hunt moved into the halves on Thursday night but started his career as a five-eighth and spent five Queensland Cup seasons in that position before being signed as a five-eighth for Wests Tigers.
He spent some time during the 2025 pre-season training as a five-eighth and filled the position during a 50-12 Pre-Season Challenge victory over the Gold Coast Titans and so looms as another of Maguire's many options.
