Brisbane Broncos head coach Michael Maguire has admitted his side will need to go to the open market in a bid to replace the retired Corey Jensen.
The Broncos, who have already lost Payne Haas for next year, have now copped an added blow with Corey Jensen retiring over a blood clot issue.
The workhorse retiring has left the Broncos short on depth for next year.
The addition of Shawn Blore will take some of the pressure away on the middle forwards, like Xavier Willison, who had been filling in on the edge, but they will still need additions.
As it stands, Brisbane will likely use Willison, Patrick Carrigan and new arrival Mitch Barnett as their starting middle third options next year, but beyond that, the likes of Preston Riki and Va'a Semu will be left in contention for bench spots.
Benjamin Te Kura, long rated as the next big thing, has also been given his release to chase a contract in the NFL.
Michael Maguire, speaking to News Corp, said his side would have to head to the open market for re-enforcements.
“It's something we have to look at,” Maguire said.
“We will look to the market but to be honest, there's not too much out there at this time of the season. You can't really plan for this sort of situation (Jensen's medical retirement).
“It's a bit like what the Melbourne Storm went through when they lost Eli Katoa for the season (with concussion issues).
“It really affects your roster and you can't plan for it.
“We have VJ and Preston Riki coming through and Mitch Barnett is joining us from the Warriors next season, which is handy.
“We've only just got the news with Corey so we'll look at our cap situation.
“We have an opportunity to look at what's available and go from there.”
Brisbane's salary cap, even with Payne Haas departure, is still stretched. They have a number of big-money deals at the top of their roster, while the arrival of Barnett has soaked up a lot of the money freed up by the departure of Haas.
The club have been heavily linked to Corey Horsburgh in recent times, and while he is off-contract at the end of 2027, there was speculation he could push for an early release at one point.
That was shut down, but it's still believed he could be interested in returning to Queensland.
Matt Lodge is the other option who has been theorised, with Todd Payten recently confirming the Cowboys have not begun talks over a new deal for the prop.
A report suggested the Cowboys would be lucky to hold on to Lodge, however, he is keen on remaining in Townsville.
What is up in the air is North Queensland's salary cap, with the club prioritising the retention of Kaiden Lahrs first before moving to other priorities.
