Reece Walsh is facing a race against the clock to play again this year after the Brisbane superstar was told he requires surgery on a broken hand.
Walsh was hurt in Saturday night's win over North Queensland with scans revealing earlier this week he had suffered a metacarpal fracture.
After seeing a specialist, Walsh has been told he needs surgery to fix the issue.
Brisbane are yet to put a timeframe on the star fullback's return, but he's expected to miss some game time in a serious blow to the Broncos.
They have the bye this week but will likely need to win their last three games against Parramatta, the Dolphins and Melbourne to have any hope of playing finals.
Brisbane are already without Payne Haas for some period due to a foot injury, while five-eighth Ezra Mam has been ruled out for the season.
"Reece will have surgery on his hand this week with a return date dependent on how he recovers, Broncos Head of Performance David Ballard said.
"Payne had a positive result from his testing and will now move into a more intensive training program.
"Both Reece and Payne will approach their rehab with a view to returning this season."
Elsewhere, Wests Tigers fullback Jahream Bula has been ruled out for the final month of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Bula had been named in the No.1 jersey for Saturday night's clash with South Sydney, but Charlie Staines and Heath Mason are now options to replace him.
