Andre Savelio’s worst fears have been realised after Brisbane confirmed the English recruit will miss the entire NRL season.
The 22-year-old forward was helped off the field just 14 minutes into his Broncos debut in a trial against the Central Queensland Capras on Saturday after his knee buckled in a tackle.
Brisbane high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans confirmed on Monday the former Warrington and St Helens second-rower required a knee reconstruction and was no chance of featuring for the Broncos this season.
The injury soured what was a hard-fought 16-6 win before 3000 fans against the Queensland Cup side in Theodore.
Broncos winger Jordan Kahu said Savelio had made a strong impression since arriving in the pre-season and would be missed this year.
“He’s a real good fella. He’s fitted in really well, trains hard and is really committed and I’ll keep my fingers crossed for him because it’d be devastating news,” Kahu said earlier on Monday.
Brisbane play Gold Coast in a trial game in Toowoomba on Saturday.