Brisbane recruit Jack Bird's hopes of returning before the end of the NRL season appear to be shot after the latest round of scans on his sternum.
Bird was hopeful of making a training comeback and a potential finals appearance after undergoing surgery on his sternum to fix an issue that has plagued him since his move from Cronulla.
But scans conducted earlier this week showed the 23-year-old utility is not ready for full-contact work just yet.
With three matches left in the NRL season and the Broncos at serious risk of dropping out of the top eight, it looks like Bird won't play again for the club until 2019.
"We always knew this was going to be a slow process with the unusual surgery Jack had," high performance manager Jeremy Hickmans told the club's website.
"Jack is not ready for full contact at this stage so he will continue training without that.
"His injury will be scanned again in a couple of weeks' time as another check on his progress."
Bird has played only eight games for the Broncos this season and has been criticised for his form after making a big-money switch from the Sharks.
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