Michael Maguire has stopped short of endorsing Ezra Mam’s return to Brisbane’s starting side next week, even as Ben Hunt’s latest injury setback leaves the Broncos staring at a major reshuffle in the halves.
“I’ll go through this game before we get to that,” Maguire said when asked whether Mam would be slotted straight into the side. “I’ll go through the game and decide which way we go.”
No guarantees, no promises
Mam is set to line up for Souths Logan on Sunday in Queensland Cup — his first match since the ban, but a call-up isn’t guaranteed, even with Brisbane crying out for a spark in attack.
Captain Adam Reynolds, who had his own frustrations after the 34-18 loss, echoed Maguire’s cautious stance: “Like Madge said, we’ll review this game. He’s been training well, but he’s still got a game to get through.”
The Broncos, now forced to reassess plans that reportedly involved Hunt shifting to hooker to accommodate Mam, must also confront deeper issues after throwing away a 14-0 half-time lead at Suncorp.
“We’ve got to learn how to do it for longer periods of time. It’s as simple as that,” Maguire said. “It was there for us. It’s very disappointing and not good enough.”
Mam’s comeback, then, remains uncertain, shaped as much by his Sunday performance as by Brisbane’s broader need to steady a ship that’s veering off course.
Hunt’s hamstring worse than expected, Broncos face double blow
The Broncos are facing a double injury blow.
Brisbane Broncos star half Ben Hunt will miss Origin 1 and could be in doubt for Game 2, with scans understood to have revealed that he has torn his hamstring off the bone.
It’s believed he will now need six weeks on the sidelines to recover the injury, and will, at minimum, miss Game 1 of the 2025 State of Origin series, as well as Game 2.
It comes at a difficult time for Brisbane’s halves depth, with reports per News Corp also emerging that Jock Madden has torn his pectoral muscle and will be out for three months.
Madden – a former Tiger who moved to Brisbane intending to land a full-time spot next to Adam Reynolds, or indeed taking his jersey once he retires – would be a fair way down the pecking order at Red Hill, but not out of the question to replace Hunt.
Ezra Mam is the most likely option to come into the side for Brisbane, although Michael Maguire admitted there were no guarantees on that front during his post-match press conference on Friday evening after a shock fade out against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Mam has only returned this weekend through the QLD Cup after a significant stretch on the sideline suspended over an off-field incident to start the year.
If Mam is overlooked, Josh Rogers now looms as the likely other option to come in at number six, while rookie Coby Black could also feature in calculations for a possible debut.
Black is the likely long-term replacement for Reynolds, and is rated as one of the most talented young halves in the game.
Hunt, speaking to the publication, said he was disappointed by the injury, but didn’t know if he was in the mix for selection in Billy Slater’s Game 1 squad, which will be announced after Round 11.
“It definitely hurts,” Hunt was quoted as saying.
“Whether Billy (Slater) was going to have me there again or not, it was unsure, but it is definitely disappointing to know you’re not in the picture.
“It’s in my hamstring, in the belly of it.
“I have never done my hammy before, but as soon as I took off, it grabbed real tight.
“I knew it wasn’t a cramp, it felt a bit more than that, so I knew something was wrong straight away.”
Hunt’s absence from State of Origin Game 1 will pave the way for a new utility off the bench, and all but confirms Melbourne Storm star Harry Grant will start at dummy half after, at times, coming from the interchange while Hunt started in recent times.
Reed Mahoney would be the most likely selection if Slater went for an out and out dummy half, but otherwise, the role could well fall to Tom Dearden who has Origin experience in the halves and could fill in at other positions.