Broncos coach Michael Maguire has thrown down the gauntlet to Ezra Mam, making it clear to the returning five-eight that there’s no easy path back to the No.6 jersey at Brisbane.
Breaking his silence ahead of Friday night’s showdown with South Sydney at Accor Stadium on Friday, Maguire revealed why Mam wasn’t recalled into the patchy performing Broncos – and it wasn’t anything to do with the crowd’s frosty reception for the suspended Bronco – who has been serving a nine-match suspension for a drug driving offence.
Despite several senior Broncos players backing Mam’s return, Maguire has stood firm in holding off his first-grade reappearance.
The 22-year-old star must earn his way back – starting with a redemption run this Sunday for Souths Logan in the Hostplus Cup.
“We have standards at this club and Ezra knows what I expect,” Maguire said via Code Sports.
“I sat down with Ezra and he totally understood my decision.”
“To be honest, I don’t think he just expected to walk back into the team.
“He has seen how everyone else has fought to get their spot and it’s on him now.
“You have to be playing to perform and then performance gives you the ability to play at the highest level and that’s what the competition is demanding at the moment.
“I have always been big on performance allowing you to get an opportunity. All the boys have been performing.
“I looked at the weekend’s performance [their 32-8 loss to Penrith] and it wasn’t our best effort, but everyone has earnt the opportunity off the hard work they’ve done.
“Ezra will go back and play Q [Queensland] Cup and now he gets an opportunity to impress,” he said.
Mam will lace up with the former Broncos five-eight, Antony Milford, in the Q Cup as the Souths Logans take on the Western Clydesdales at Davies Park.
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The return of the ‘would-be’ grand final hero, who scored a hat-trick in the 2023 grand final against the Panthers, has added pressure to the existing half combination of NRL veterans Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt, who have failed to fire on all cylinders for the Broncos in the first third of the season.
Although the temptation for Maguire to bring Mam back into the starting squad is tactically the best move to push the Broncos up into the top four, the hard-nosed coach has taken a more considered approach to both keep Mam hungry and ease his body back into the top league.
“He learnt some big lessons but the thing we have to respect is the NRL is the highest level,” Maguire said.
“I couldn’t pick Ezra just thinking everything will happen and he will just hit the ground running in the NRL.”
“Nothing beats playing a game of NRL. Ezra hasn’t played NRL for months, so he needs to start getting back to playing some football before he gets to the higher level.
“The good thing is Ezra coming back pushes everyone internally. I’m happy with ‘Hunty’ and ‘Reyno’ but it’s healthy in any organisation to have competition because it drives you to a higher level.”
“Ezra has paid the price and now he has his chance to start afresh,” he said.
‘Ready to go’
Recently departed Broncos coach Kevin Walters couldn’t believe Maguire’s decision not to play the five-eight: “I would have picked in the six jumper and rolled him out,” he said on his new podcast, Inside Ball.
“Broncos have last three of their last four games,” he said.
“Ben Hunt goes to nine. Billy Walters onto the bench – or Corey Paix – one of those two. Problem solved mate.”
“If I know Ezra Mam, and I do know Ezam Mam – I know that he would be ready to go.”
“I threw him a jersey three hours out on his debut, I told him three hours before the game that he’s playing against the Knights. He got man of the match and scored two tries. This is 19-20 year-old kid and this is three years ago – and how far has he come.”
The two podcast hosts Ben Dobbin and Walters outlined the measures taken by the NRL, the Broncos and Mam himself to get himself back to this position.
Not only has Ezra been though the criminal legal system – and will continue to do so civilly – but he copped a $100,000 fine at the Broncos club, had a nation wide rugby league ban for nine weeks, he’s undergone rehab, worked as a laborer and expressed his deep remorse for his actions.
Dobbin and Walters both agreed that people have the right to their opinion on the matter, but said you can’t blame the kid for his punishment.
“He didn’t choose his punishment,” they said.