Blake Mozer’s season is over, Phillip Sami keen to be a Bear
The Broncos have put one young gun on ice, Cameron Munster is facing a transport headache ahead of his father’s funeral and see which former Maroon has put his hand up to play for the Bears.
Luckless Broncos hooker Blake Mozer is set to go under the knife and begin preparations for next year following a forgettable 2025 season.
Mozer will not play a single NRL game this year after battling a shoulder injury all season.
To compound things, Mozer suffered a broken jaw in the Hostplus Cup last week.
Given his year is effectively over, the Broncos have opted to send Mozer in for a shoulder reconstruction to give him a head start on preparations for 2026.
Mozer, 21, is regarded as Brisbane’s great hope in the No. 9 jersey and showed some promising signs in eight NRL games last year.
However he was behind the eight-ball all season due to a shoulder problem which he was determined to play through.
Now sidelined with the jaw injury, Mozer will spend the next few months getting his shoulder right so he can hit the ground running for 2026.
He scored a two-year contract extension this season despite his wretched run and the Broncos are hoping Mozer will deliver in the NRL in the future.
MUNSTER’S LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE
Maroons star Cameron Munster is facing a mad dash to make it to his father’s funeral in Rockhampton next week due to the NRL draw.
Steven Munster died suddenly, aged 58, in Sarina just days before last week’s State of Origin series decider in Sydney.
Queensland skipper Cameron left Camp Maroon to be with his family in Mackay for a few days before heading to Sydney to play in the series finale.
His heroics helped boost the Maroons to a memorable series win and an emotionally-drained Munster was rested from Melbourne’s win against Newcastle on Saturday.
Munster has been named to play against Manly in Melbourne on Saturday, but next week could be a logistical nightmare for the Storm five-eighth.
Steven’s funeral will be held at midday in Rockhampton on Friday next week, July 25, after Munster’s Storm face the Roosters in Sydney on the Thursday night.
If Munster plays against the Roosters at Allianz Stadium he will have to get the first flight out of Sydney on Friday morning and change planes in Brisbane to make it to Rockhampton in time for the funeral.
EX-MAROON EYES BEARS DEFECTION
New Bears coach Mal Meninga’s recruitment drive is underway with former Queensland Origin flyer Phillip Sami becoming the first NRL star to express interest in playing for the new Perth franchise.
This masthead can reveal Sami’s management has had preliminary talks with Meninga as the Perth Bears mentor looks to begin constructing his inaugural roster for the 18th team’s NRL entry in 2027.
Sami is contracted to the Titans until the end of 2026, meaning the ex-Maroons winger will be a free agent when the Perth Bears enter the big league.
Meninga cannot make a formal offer to Sami given that he isn’t a free agent until November 1, but the Titans have yet to indicate whether they are keen to offer a new deal for the tackle-busting utility back.
Sami has indicated, via his representatives, that he is willing to make a move to Perth to help lead the Bears out of hibernation if he is unable to strike a new deal with the Titans.
Sami, who turns 28 next month, would be a handy foundation signing for the Bears.
The Ipswich product has been one of the Gold Coast’s most consistent players, amassing 65 tries from 136 games for the Titans since his NRL debut in 2017.
Sami has nine tries from 15 matches this season and goes into Sunday’s derby clash against the Broncos with 43 tackle busts, seven line breaks and 2566 running metres at an impressive average of 171m per game.
The cousin of Sharks ace Ronaldo Mulitalo, Sami was a member of Wayne Bennett’s mighty Maroons squad which shocked the Blues in the Covid-affected 2020 State of Origin series.
The Bears will need experienced NRL players to be competitive from day one and the hard-running Sami chalks up his 10th year in the top grade next season.
Some NRL players may baulk at the tyranny of distance but Sami, who will be 29 when the Bears join the premiership, would have no issues moving his wife and young family to Perth for a new adventure.
Foundation Bears coach Meninga is open to talking to all off-contract players and said it is critical Perth builds the right culture for their 2027 baptism.
“Once we have some sort of freedom to make some decisions, then we’ll get into how we build the club,” Meninga said.
“We’ll be talking to everyone available on the market with my recruitment guy and head of footy, so we’ll make sure that we don’t leave any stone unturned.
“That’s part of my role, is to get a good footy team together and be competitive from day one.
“I know that’s a challenge, so you’ve got to talk to everyone that’s available and keen to play for the Bears.
“It’s important we get our foundation right, then I believe everything will flow from there and you can go out and recruit the right people.
“That’s my plan.”
FENECH’S BABY JOY
Jeff Fenech has spoken of his admiration for Bradman Best as the Newcastle star and the boxing legend’s daughter set to celebrate the birth of their first child.
Kayla Fenech and Best took to social media in recent days with a gender reveal as they prepare for the arrival of a baby girl.
The couple began dating a year ago and boxing legend Fenech originally had reservations about Kayla dating an NRL star.
She previously dated rising boxing star Brock Jarvis, who is still trained by Fenech ahead of his upcoming fight in August.
But with Kayla and Best set to give Fenech a grandchild, the boxing Hall of Fame great has mellowed and says Best has won him over.
“Bradman is a beautiful person,” Fenech said.
“The more and more I spend time with him, the more I like him and see what a genuine guy he is.
“At the end of the day, my daughter comes home every day so happy and as a father that’s all you can ask for.
“I can’t wait for the baby’s arrival, it will be wonderful for our family.”
DOLPHINS DILEMMA
Dolphins cult heroes Mark Nicholls and Josh Kerr are on a potential collision course with club bosses over their futures at Redcliffe.
Nicholls, who turns 36 in January, has made the personal decision to shelve retirement plans and soldier on in the NRL next year.
The only problem is Nicholls is still off-contract at the Dolphins and there’s no guarantee he is in coach Kristian Woolf’s plans for 2026.
Nicholls was shopped to River City rivals Brisbane a fortnight ago but the Broncos have salary-cap pressures and can’t afford to sign him.
The former Souths grand final prop has been a fine performer since joining the Dolphins as a foundation player in 2023, adding experience and a team-first mentality in the club’s formative years under Wayne Bennett.
Nicholls was expected to retire at season’s end, but still loves the game as much as ever and believes he has more to offer the Dolphins or another NRL club.
Kerr, 29, is in career-best form, as evidenced by his selection in Queensland’s extended squad for the Origin decider.
He wants to remain at the Dolphins but the club is flush with forwards and hamstrung by the uncertainty around the injured Tom Flegler’s future.
The Dolphins already have the likes of forwards Daniel Saifiti, Frank Molo, Ray Stone, Max Plath, Tom Gilbert and English import Morgan Knowles on the books for next year while Felise Kaufusi will re-sign.
There may not be any room left for Nicholls and Kerr.
MAROONS GOAT(EE): HIRSUTE HERO EXPLAINS FAMOUS FACIAL HAIR
Broncos cult hero Gehamat Shibasaki has revealed the story behind the NRL’s most famous facial hair.
Shibasaki’s ‘goatee’ has become a hit with fans on the back of his meteoric rise to the State of Origin arena this year.
Shibasaki came from the clouds to make his Origin debut for Queensland in last week’s epic decider win against the Blues in Sydney.
And he has gained a legion of fans along the way thanks to his inspiring story.
Shibasaki, 27, was a social worker in Townsville a year ago before deciding to have one last crack at the NRL.
Now he is an Origin series winner with a unique look.
Broncos teammate Ben Hunt has grown a similar beard as a tribute to Shibasaki while Maroons fans were spotted on Caxton Street for the decider with the same look.
Shibasaki has rocked the goatee since his NRL debut for Brisbane in 2018 and said it was a look he always wanted.
“I wasn’t allowed to grow it in school, so when I finished school I was like ‘I wanted to grow the goatee,” he said.
“I just thought it was something different, you know what I mean?
“All the boys back at home in Brisbane, all the Broncos boys got it done for me too. I want them to have one round with the goatee and play with it.
“People are drawing them on. It’s funny.”
Shibasaki said he was cherishing every moment of his career resurrection following some challenging years.
“It’s just off the back of my pre-season and all that as well. I had the right people around me,” he said.
“I can’t get to where I am without everyone backing me.”
KINI’S KO BLOW
Gold Coast’s season of disaster has suffered another blow with fullback sensation Keano Kini set to be ruled out for the rest of the year.
Kini underwent neck surgery in early April and the Titans were hopeful the Kiwi Test star would return in round 20, which is this Sunday’s clash against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.
But with the Titans’ finals hopes virtually over after last Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, coach Des Hasler is taking no risks with the club’s 2024 player of the year.
“I don’t think you will see Keano on the field this year,” said Hasler, who has had a handy replacement in AJ Brimson.
“AJ is of great value, he is able to play a number of positions which is the headache you want as a coach.”
Kini had a herniated disc removed from his neck and had two bones fused, with the 21-year-old admitting after the operation he was just millimetres away from being paralysed.
There are still fears the exciting fullback, who recently inked a five-year extension, may not make a full recovery, but the Titans are confident Kini will hit the ground running in 2026.
So much so they signed him to a five-year contract extension just weeks after he underwent spinal surgery.
“Anything can happen with your neck, so I’m not going to rush anything,” Kini said.
“I’m focused on my health first rather than coming back to footy this year.
“Obviously, I’d love to be back this year, but if not, I will take my time to get back to my full potential.”
SHOOSH
Which NRL club’s recruitment department is such a mess that the CEO is now running the show?
COAST’S THUG PROBLEM
Junior rugby league on the Gold Coast has a serious problem following a number of incidents in recent months.
The Queensland Rugby League has been working overtime to deal with numerous incidents of poor behaviour from spectators and parents.
The latest issue of many was at Currumbin Eagles last week when a father from a rival club allegedly threatened a female trainer to “settle it in the carpark” after his son was told not to return to the field due to a head knock in an under-12s game.
An experienced volunteer trainer told the rival club their young player should not return to the field due to the swollen lump on his head after a knock.
But the father, incensed at the suggestion, challenged the female trainer to go to the car park despite her only concern before the welfare of the young boy in a non-competitive game of football.
Junior sport across Australia is meant to enforce a three-week stand down policy for suspected concussion incidents.
Behaviour like this is unacceptable and the QRL needs to come down hard on offenders to clean up the image of the game.
TEVITA PANGAI PIVOTS AFTER PLANS FOR AUSSIE RETURN FALL THROUGH
Former NSW Origin enforcer Tevita Pangai Jr will quit Catalans Dragons at season’s end after signing with the Sam Burgess-coached Warrington.
Pangai Jr was on the verge of a return to Australia and a defection to rugby union, only for talks with the ACT Brumbies to collapse at the eleventh hour.
That opened the door for the Wolves, with Burgess striking a one-year for the former Broncos and Dolphins forward to link with Warrington in 2026.
Speaking exclusively to this masthead, Pangai Jr confirmed the move and said the appeal of being mentored by Burgess was too hard to resist.
“I’m excited to work with Sam Burgess,” Pangai Jr said.
“He’s a big reason why I’m going there.
“Ben Te’o (former Dolphins assistant coach) had big wraps on Sam during my time with him at the Broncos and Dolphins.
“He is very inspiring as a player and coach.”
The 29-year-old was close to a code switch. He was in talks with the Brumbies with a view to possibly turning out for Australia at the 2027 rugby World Cup, but the deal ultimately collapsed.
“Rugby union has always been something I’ve wanted to try,” he said.
“It would have been great to be in that environment and system to the learn the No. 6 or 8 position to excel but things didn’t eventuate.
“This opportunity came up and it happened very quickly to be honest.
“I’ve enjoyed my life in France but I’m looking forward to having success with Sam at Warrington.”
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