NRL best 17s for 2025: Brisbane Broncos

The Brisbane Broncos begin life under Michael Maguire in 2025, and will have plenty of questions to answer on and off the field.

Plenty of them will start to become known during the pre-season trial matches, with selections up for grabs under new leadership.

While it felt at times former coach Kevin Walters had gone slightly stale in terms of picking his team each week, Maguire has openly admitted change is coming for the Broncos in a number of spots.

There are certainly walk-up starters for the Red Hill-based outfit who won't be challenged, but with a veteran new signing and youngsters banging the door down, this is one of the more intriguing teams to watch over the opening weeks of 2025.

Here is how we see team selection playing out for the Broncos in 2025.

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Recruitment report

Ins: Ben Hunt (St George Illawarra Dragons, 2026)

Outs: Ethan O'Neill (Leigh Leopards), Corey Oates (retired), Jordan Pereira (retired), Tristan Sailor (St Helens Saints)

Re-signed: Coby Black (2026), Ezra Mam (2029), Brendan Piakura (2027), Adam Reynolds (2025), Jordan Riki (2027), Josh Rogers (2026), Tyson Smoothy (2025), Martin Taupau (2025), Reece Walsh (2029), Billy Walters (2026)

Off-contract at end of 2025: Fletcher Baker, Selwyn Cobbo, Jack Gosiewski, Kobe Hetherington, Delouise Hoeter, Jaiyden Hunt, Corey Jensen, Israel Leota, Blake Mozer, Cory Paix, Adam Reynolds, Tyson Smoothy, Kotoni Staggs, Martin Taupau

The above contract information is correct as at January 31.

Full squad

Jesse Arthars, Fletcher Baker, Coby Black, Patrick Carrigan, Selwyn Cobbo, Jack Gosiewski, Payne Haas, Kobe Hetherington, Delouise Hoeter, Ben Hunt, Jaiyden Hunt, Corey Jensen, Josiah Karapani, Israel Leota, Jock Madden, Ezra Mam, Deine Mariner, Blake Mozer, Cory Paix, Brendan Piakura, Adam Reynolds (c), Jordan Riki, Josh Rogers, Tyson Smoothy, Kotoni Staggs, Martin Taupau, Benjamin Te Kura, Reece Walsh, Billy Walters, Xavier Willison

Supplementary contracts: Jett Bryce, Cameron Bukowski, Hayze Perham, Va'a Semu, Bailey Trew

Who plays where?

Fullback
This is one of the few positions where there is no dispute as to who plays there - Reece Walsh will be the Broncos fullback.

One of the competition's most talented players on his day, there is little doubt Michael Maguire will have laid the law down to the star over his form during the pre-season.

If injury strikes, options already in the team, such as Selwyn Cobbo or even Jesse Arthars, could be next in line to go to the back.

Should Maguire not want to make adjustments to the 17 when Walsh is either on Origin duty or out injured, the depth options in the squad are slim, with outside back Israel Leota, centre Josiah Karapani or development player Hayze Perham in line to spend time at the back.

Youngster Bailey Trew, who is part of the development list, is also a fullback, but unlikely to be considered for NRL this year.

Wingers
Jesse Arthars is the first man picked on the wing for the Broncos, owing to strong form throughout his time at the club.

A formerly talented youngster, his career looked to have stagnated before he broke out of his shell during the second half of the 2023 campaign, keeping Corey Oates out of the side. The veteran winger has now retired.

Maguire has also indicated Selwyn Cobbo is likely to shift back to the wing in 2025. He started his career there before Kevin Walters shifted him into the centres, but that had mixed results at the best of times.

Cobbo brings a metre-eating and try-scoring ability, so it could be a move for the best.

In terms of back-up, the Broncos again don't have a stack of options, with Israel Leota, Josiah Karapani and Perham all more suited to the outside backs than they would be at fullback.

Centres
The move of Cobbo onto the wing comes in what is a direct positional swap with Deine Mariner, who shuffled into the centres after starting his career out wider.

A super talent, he has played centres for much of his development and should be at home there.

Kotoni Staggs has a mortgage on the other centre jersey to the point it's not even worth discussing.

As per the above, and at risk of copy-pasting from the above, Leota, Karapani and Perham form the back-up brigade.

Halves
At full strength, the Broncos should run out with Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds as their halves combination in 2025.

Full strength will take at least ten rounds to happen though, with Mam starting the season suspended, and after that, relies on Reynolds - who has been confirmed as club captain again in 2025 - staying fit.

Ben Hunt has been signed by the Broncos after being released by the St George Illawarra Dragons and should start the year at five-eighth before providing handy back-up in both positions, while former Tiger Jock Madden, and 28-year-old late bloomer Josh Rogers are the other mainstay options.

Coby Black will push for a debut this year as one of the most talented young halfbacks in the game, while Billy Walters could also provide back-up in the number six at a pinch given he is no guarantee of being anywhere near the dummy half spot.

Middle forwards
The Broncos starting middle third rotation should be set in stone from the start of the season to the end of it if Payne Haas, Corey Jensen and Patrick Carrigan can stay fit.

That said, there has been some chatter of Carrigan lining up at prop, which could allow back-up lock forward Kobe Hetherington to start.

The Broncos are flush with other options for the prop positions though, led by young hard-hitting duo Xavier Willison, who played plenty in 2024, and rookie Benjamin Te Kura.

There is also Fletcher Baker, Jaiyden Hunt and Martin Taupau within the Top 30 to provide some depth, while development player Va'a Semu almost debuted amid injuries at the end of 2024 and will provide handy competition and depth for the prop spots as the season advances.

Hooker
One of the biggest positional battles anywhere in the NRL as the 2025 season approaches is the hooker one in Brisbane.

Things became stale in 2024. There is no doubt of that. Billy Walters started, Tyson Smoothy played from the bench, and it simply wasn't working for former coach Kevin Walters.

Whether either of those two players survive into 2025 remains to be seen. At full strength, Ben Hunt is likely to start at hooker, and young gun Blake Mozer will play from the bench.

While Hunt is in the halves, Mozer could well find himself in the number nine jumper, with Walters, Smoothy and the formerly forgotten Cory Paix, who was believed to have played his last game for the club prior to the arrival of Maguire, in the mix.

Development player Cameron Bukowski is also an option if problems occur.

Edge forwards
On the edge, Jordan Riki and Brendan Piakura had a mortgage over the two spots last year, and should do so again this year.

The duo would be walk-up starters at almost any club in the league.

The Broncos have plenty of back-up options in the second-row as well, with Fletcher Baker and Jaiyden Hunt both able to play on the edge, and Jack Gosiewski having joined the club in the middle of 2024 from the North Queensland Cowboys.

Interchange
We are expecting the Broncos to run a utility and three middle forwards on the bench, given the minutes produced by Riki and Piakura, and the ability of Carrigan or bench players to shift onto the edge in the case of injuries.

At full strength, Blake Mozer takes the utility - or hooker spot - but if he is starting, then we'd have Billy Walters as the next cab off the rank.

Kobe Hethertington has been a mainstay of the Broncos bench in recent years and should remain there in 2025, while youngsters Xavier Willison and Benjamin Te Kura edge the likes of Martin Taupau, Jaiyden Hunt and Fletcher Baker for the other two spots at full strength.