Four years of anticipation for what rugby league’s biggest man can bring will at last be realised as rookie Broncos enforcer Ben Te Kura pushes his case for an NRL breakthrough.
The tallest man in the competition’s history threatened to become Brisbane’s newest wrecking ball, only for injuries to curtail his ascent.
While still just 22, Te Kura, who stands at 205 centimetres, has only managed five first-grade appearances since his 2024 debut, and he featured just twice in the club’s run to a drought-breaking premiership last year after suffering a syndesmosis injury mid-year.
Ben Te Kura scores for the Broncos.Credit: Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos
That setback followed Lisfranc surgery the year before, after Te Kura had established himself in the Queensland Cup, in which he scored 15 tries from 41 games for the Souths Logan Magpies, while averaging 104 running metres and almost 15 tackles per outing.
It was always going to take time for a man of Te Kura’s stature to get comfortable performing with his hulking frame, however the sight of him looking slimmed down and leaner at Red Hill suggested a breakout campaign beckoned.
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And with two bench spots up for grabs from the Broncos’ triumphant grand final outfit after the departures of Kobe Hetherington (Manly) and Tyson Smoothy (England’s Wakefield Trinity), Te Kura’s Brisbane teammate, Corey Jensen, believes 2026 will mark the 122 kilogram wrecking ball’s rise to prominence.
“There’s no reason why not. Madge [coach Michael Maguire] has always been big on [saying] he won’t pick anyone on favour; it’s all about who’s out there working the hardest,” said Jensen, who will fight to stave off Xavier Willison to start alongside Payne Haas at prop.
“He’s working his way back. He’s had a bit of a foot injury so he’s been running with the rehab [group], and I think he actually progresses into skills, he was saying, next week. We all know how damaging he can be, so for him to be able to find some consistency will be really good, and he’ll go well for the club.
