Ben Te Kura leaves Brisbane Broncos for NFL dream as Corey Jensen faces uncertain future

Giant Brisbane Broncos forward Ben Te Kura has been granted leave from the rest of his NRL contract in the hopes of making an NFL roster.

The 22-year-old is the tallest player in the NRL at 205 centimetres and was given a six-week leave of absence in April to attend a training camp.

The Broncos said at the time that he had been the subject of "long-term interest from the NFL" and he would "either return to Broncos' training, or the club will extend his absence to facilitate further steps towards a possible NFL opportunity in the United States".

Te Kura has played just five NRL games since making his debut in 2024 after struggling with a series of injuries and is yet to take the field this season, having played three games in the Queensland Cup with Wynnum Manly.

"I'm very grateful to the Broncos for everything they've done to support me in pursuing an opportunity in the NFL," Te Kura said.

"Making my NRL debut for the Broncos against the Storm in 2024 was such an unbelievable moment for myself and my family.

"I owe the club so much for the faith they've had in me right from day one."

Te Kura is now set to travel to Arizona with the goal of making it into the NFL, with football manager Troy Thomson saying the Broncos were happy to support his journey.

"This is an incredible opportunity, and one we felt was important to help facilitate," he said.

"Everyone at the Broncos wishes Ben and his family all the very best for the future."

The defending NRL premiers are currently enduring a seven-game losing streak and are struggling for forward depth, with the team yesterday revealing "the future is a little uncertain for" prop Corey Jensen.

After becoming unwell during round seven, Jensen was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (blood clots in the lungs), the cause of which remains unknown.

"Corey did have another incident with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his calf about a year earlier," Broncos chief medical officer Matt Hislop said.

"Both incidents were considered to be unprovoked, meaning there was no obvious precipitating event or trigger, like a long-haul flight or even an injury."

Jensen is in the midst of a long recovery period, which was complicated by an infection that led to more than a litre of fluid being drained via a chest tube.

The 32-year-old cannot take part in contact training while on anti-coagulants and blood thinners to try to prevent more clots, and has to undergo repeat blood tests in the coming weeks.

"If the upcoming blood test is positive, it will likely mean he needs to stay on [blood thinner] Warfarin for the rest of his life," Dr Hislop said.

"If it is negative, it still means we do not know the reason for his recurrent development of blood clots. At present it looks like he will still need to stay on blood thinners long term, but there is a possibility that a different type of blood thinner could be started, which could be potentially stopped around contact and re-started afterwards.

"Obviously, this is not without risk, but it could allow Corey to continue to play rugby league."

The club said it is prioritising Jensen's long-term health and will figure out the best treatment strategy over the next few months.

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