Brisbane Broncos back-rower Brendan Piakura has been cleared to resume his NRL career after specialist testing on his brain, following a run of head knocks that had put his future in doubt.
Piakura, 24, was given the green light after consulting one of Australia’s leading brain doctors, Code Sports reported on Thursday morning, with Fox Sports and Zero Tackle also carrying the news. He is now set to join the Broncos’ pre-season for 2027.
His agent, Allan Gainey, said the testing was done in Melbourne. “Brendan went down to Melbourne to do some assessments and they did some specialist scanning of his brain,” Gainey said.
“The Broncos sent Brendan to a specialist as a sort of precaution and he did some additional testing. The good news is it’s all systems go.”
Season cut short after Round 20
Piakura has not played since a head knock against the Penrith Panthers in Round 20 in July, which Fox Sports reported was his fifth serious incident across his last three seasons. The Broncos ruled him out for the rest of the year, and he managed only 12 games in 2026.
Read more: Broncos Land Peter O’Sullivan in $2.5m Deal, Report Says
He went through a similar process to Newcastle Knights star Kalyn Ponga, who flew to Canada in 2023 for testing after four head knocks in 10 months and was cleared to play on, Fox Sports reported.
Maguire to work on tackling technique
Coach Michael Maguire and the Broncos plan to rework Piakura’s tackling technique to lower the risk of further head injuries. “He is putting his head in the wrong spot,” Maguire said, as quoted by Zero Tackle. “We’ll look at all those things.”
Read more: Kalyn Ponga Back Training, Eyes Shock World Cup Semi-Final Return
The Cook Islands international was a key part of the Broncos’ 2025 premiership side. Brisbane have since added Dane Gagai, Mitchell Barnett, Shawn Blore and Jonah Pezet to their squad for 2027.
More News
