NRL news, Corey Jensen medically retires from Brisbane Broncos after blood clot diagnosis, health scare

Premiership Broncos forward Corey Jensen has been forced into medical retirement at the age of 32.

He fronted media alongside coach Michael Maguire and football operations manager Troy Thomson on Thursday morning to confirm the news.

It was after their round seven game against the Tigers that Jensen began to feel unwell, and scans revealed several blood clots in his lungs.

He was placed on a blood thinning medication for at least six months and doctors told him he could not play contact sports for that period of time, effectively ending his NRL season.

While there was hope he could return to the field next year and see out his contract with the Brisbane club, doctors have now ruled that out, telling Jensen he will need blood thinners for the rest of his life.

The 2025 grand final winning prop was emotional when thanking his wife, family, teammates, the Broncos, and late former Cowboys coach Paul Green for giving him his start in the NRL.

His wife Shannen is a veterinarian who lives and works in North Queensland and the couple have been in a long-distance relationship since Jensen moved to Brisbane in 2022.

“I have to thank my mum and dad, I come from a small country town and a family of seven kids but they always made things work, they spent hours travelling which allowed me to fulfil my dream of playing in the NRL,” he said.

“My wife Shannen has been with me through my whole career, she’s seen the highs and lows, sees how frustrated I get, and she’s my biggest fan.

“We’ve done long-distance for six years now… she’s sacrificed so much to allow me to do what I do, so I appreciate everything she’s done and I wouldn’t be where I am without her.”

Jensen retires with 153 NRL games to his name. He played the 2017 grand final with the Cowboys and won last year’s with Brisbane.

Broncos coach Maguire explained how important Jensen has been to him over the past two years.

“It’s the character of Corey that probably tells a story,” Maguire said.

“I remember the first day I met him, he was talking about how he was going to help the place improve, and that’s basically been my experience of Corey the whole time I’ve been here.

“He probably hasn’t been put up in lights, in press conferences and things like that, but he’s been my rock, he is a rock in a lot of things that have gone on here in the organisation.

“He’s here at six in the morning and leaves at six at night. He helps build the fabric of what we’re about.”

Maguire wants Jensen to stick around and work with the team long-term and it’s something the retired prop is interested in doing.

“It started a couple of weeks ago, Madge (Maguire) gave me the opportunity to help out the middles,” Jensen said.

“To be honest I didn’t see myself as a coach. I love the S and C (strength and conditioning) side of things and have done a lot of work in that space, but to actually be a footy coach... I’ve definitely found a real enjoyment out of it... I’m going to continue doing that for the rest of the year, and it gives me a chance to think about what I want to do in the future.”

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