Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters is encouraging patience from young hooker Blake Mozer as he develops his game in the Queensland Cup amid a competitive environment for the hooker position at the club.
Mozer, who turns 20 next week and is signed with the Broncos until the end of 2025, has been plying his trade with Souths-Logan, playing 18 games last season.
Depth at the hooker position within the Broncos is a good headache for the club to have.
First-choice No.9 Billy Walters is close to securing a two-year extension through 2026, and while Tyson Smoothy and Cory Paix are also under contract, Walters still identifies a promising future for Mozer at the NRL level.
"Patience is a virtue," Kevin Walters emphasised during a press conference on Friday.
"You need to be patient in life, and particularly in rugby league. If you are in a hurry to get somewhere in rugby league it often doesn't work out for you," Walters continued.
The coach praised Mozer's performance in the Queensland Cup, but noted that "...there are parts of his game he needs to work really hard on - which he is."
Despite the competition for playing time, Walters is optimistic about Mozer's prospects and expects him to feature in the NRL this year.
"We have got no complaints about what he is doing or how he is going about it," Walters added.
"I expect him to play in the NRL this year. I have no hesitation with him playing in our team."
"At the moment, Billy [Walters] and Tyson [Smoothy] have a mortgage on those two positions... but we see Blake as a long-term player here."
In a broader context, Walters also heaped praise on his son Billy's development and resilience in securing his spot on the Broncos team.
"Billy has fought hard to get every bit of his NRL career," Walters gushed. "Some players come in and get everything at their feet, but he's had to fight really hard."
The 7th placed Broncos face the 13th placed Wests Tigers at Campbelltown Sports Stadium today.