The Brisbane Broncos have moved to clarify Blake Mozer's future at the club, insisting the young hooker remains in their plans despite exit rumors.
Reports emerged earlier this week that Mozer could leave the club effective immediately, with the 22 year old being granted permission to explore options elsewhere.
However, the Broncos have stated they are not actively pushing Mozer out the door, but it was his management seeking to shop him around.
The club maintaining he will be given every opportunity to establish himself at Red Hill.
“There's a future for Blake at the Broncos, definitely,” Brisbane executive football boss Troy Thomson told the Courier Mail.
“Blake is a free agent from November 1, but he is still contracted to us for next year and we are happy to honour that deal.”
Mozer made his NRL debut in 2023 after emerging through the Keebra Park High School system, with his potential once drawing comparisons to legendary Melbourne Storm hooker Cameron Smith.
However, he has managed just 16 NRL appearances since his debut, with injuries and concussion setbacks disrupting his development.
The young dummy-half also faces significant competition for a place in Brisbane's hooker rotation, with Cory Paix, Billy Walters and Ben Hunt all in the mix, while emerging talent Cameron Bukowski has also recently made his NRL debut.
The Broncos were previously open to the idea of releasing Mozer during the season, with potential moves to the Canterbury Bulldogs and Super League outfit St Helens discussed before the June 30 deadline.
Neither move eventuated, leaving Mozer to continue his development in Brisbane, where the club insists his future remains open.
Head coach Michael Maguire echoed Thomson's comments, declaring he remains a strong believer in the youngster's ability despite his difficult run with injuries.
“I definitely do see a future for him here,” Maguire told Courier Mail.
“I really like Blake. I'm a big fan of him.
“As a coach, you want that internal competition and it's a good headache to have.
“We're fortunate that we have ‘Paixy', Billy and ‘Hunty' (as hooking options), but Blake is not out of the equation by any means.
“I understand it's been a tough journey for Blake. His journey's just been a different one because of the circumstances of injury.
“But I believe ‘Moze' has a lot to offer.”
While Brisbane remain firm on their willingness to give Mozer an opportunity, the club's long-term squad plans could undergo significant changes following the arrival of Peter O'Sullivan as head of recruitment.
The highly regarded recruitment figure is beginning to assess the Broncos' roster, with decisions expected to be made over the coming weeks as Brisbane look to determine the make-up of their squad moving forward.
“With ‘Sully' coming in, we are assessing the whole squad and we will work through that over the next few weeks,” Thomson said.
“Sully is getting his head around the role, everything will be handed over to him, so there's some decisions we need to make on the squad moving forward.
“Blake has been really unlucky with the injury and concussion side of things. There's a lot of competition for spots at our club and we're looking forward to seeing how they all train.
“We will have an extended pre-season this season and that will go a long way to what our squad looks like moving forward.”
Mozer is contracted to Brisbane for the 2027 season but will be eligible to negotiate with rival clubs from November 1, meaning his future could become clearer as the Broncos begin reshaping their roster.
For now, however, Brisbane's message is clear: Mozer has not been ruled out of their plans, with the upcoming pre-season potentially playing a significant role in determining where he sits in the club's hooking hierarchy.
