Brisbane five-eighth Anthony Milford will undergo his second shoulder reconstruction in as many years but is expected to be fit for the start of the 2019 NRL season.
Milford will have the surgery this week after playing through the pain of a subluxation during the club's doomed finals campaign.
The former Queensland playmaker suffered the injury - in which the joint pops in and out - in round 25 against Manly.
He suffered the same injury late in 2017 before going under the knife.
The injury can take four to six months to heal and Broncos high-performance manager Jeremy Hickmans said they were confident he would be fit for next year's season kick-off.
"He actually subluxed his shoulder in the first half against Manly," Hickmans said.
"But he managed to play on and handle it for the rest of that game and the following week.
"He will need reconstructive surgery now and to undertake the associated rehabilitation time of about five months.
"That should have him back on the field for the opening to the 2019 season."
Australian Associated Press