You don't think he'll get match fitness / confidence from play Qcup within the next 17 weeks? Surely it won't take that many matches.. I was thinking more like maybe a month from now he could play first grade, maybe 2 at most.
I hope you're right mate but he's just been through so much. Playing 1st grade NRL is still such a huge gap from where he is at. As Big Pete etc have mentioned; he's still at a stage, physically and perhaps moreso psychologically, where he is just happy to be able to run during a game.
The injury was bad enough, but the surgical complications afterwards has left him with so much to overcome. He's made great progress but imo the journey has only just begun. It's far more than just an issue of regaining match fitness. That in itself will take a while but the mental hurdle will take longer.
Good luck to him though. It'll be one of the great days for the Broncos when he returns to first grade.