Brisbane hooker Blake Mozer is one of the best young footballers not playing regular NRL but is closer to adding to his solitary top grade game.
AAP has been told the 20-year-old is on standby for regular No.9 Billy Walters, who has a wrist injury and is racing the clock to be fit for the Magic Round clash with Manly on Friday night.
Walters was in a no-contact red bib and training with the reserves on Monday.
If he is ruled out then bench hooker Tyson Smoothy will likely start and Mozer, who has been in outstanding form for South-Logan in the Queensland Cup, would slot onto the bench.
Even if Walters plays, Mozer is surely not far away from getting NRL action if a vacancy should arise.
The former Queensland under 19s rake has impressed with his development and form in the second tier.
"Blake has been playing really good footy for Souths-Logan," Broncos winger Deine Mariner said.
"He is ready to step up if he has to this week and is always ready for the next challenge.
"He is a bit taller than the normal hooker and really good at his running game and getting the middles where they need to be."
Mozer attended Keebra Park High School where he shone under former coach Glen Campbell.
"His form for Souths-Logan is what I saw way back in Grade Nine when I approached his mother and told her that if he was old enough he would be in my Open A team," Campbell said.
"Blake has vision, knows when to run and his defence is getting better.
"He is getting smarter and taking the correct option. Blake wants to win, which is why he was captain of my Open A side."
Campbell said he suspected Mozer, signed until the end of 2025, was getting "sneaky approaches behind the Broncos back" to determine whether he would be interested in a move to a club with a clear pathway.
He added that Mozer was in a strong environment at the Broncos.
"The Broncos signed him on a long-term deal because they knew he would develop," he said.
"He got a 20-minute window in his NRL debut last year and did everything except settle into the game and show what he could really do.
"As a side gets fatigued he gets better, which is what a good hooker does."
Mozer is in a situation similar to teammate Tristan Sailor, who would be a top 17 player each week in a side with less depth.
Coach Kevin Walters said recently that "patience is a virtue" and Mozer has certainly been patient.
In other Broncos news, halfback Jock Madden is in line to replace Josh Rogers against the Sea Eagles if he recovers from a pectoral injury.
Madden trained strongly on Monday after missing last week's win over Parramatta, where 27-year-old Rogers shone and was the players' player.
