Mam was placed on report during his QLD Cup return.
The Queensland Rugby League have left Brisbane Broncos and Souths Logan Magpies five-eighth off their charge sheet from the weekend’s Queensland Cup action, clearing him for an NRL return this round against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
Mam, who sat out the first nine weeks of the season owing to an off-field incident at the end of 2024, returned through the QLD Cup over the weekend with Souths Logan, where he was placed on report during the opening minute of the match.
He has now been cleared for the high tackle though in a performance which saw Mam score a try and lay on another three before being taken from the park just 50 minutes into the contest.
In what was a solid performance from the five-eighth who was playing at halfback, it clears the way for Mam to likely come straight into the first-grade side this weekend and take the place of the injured Ben Hunt.
Hunt, who joined from the Dragons after being released at the end of 2024, will miss his first opportunity to play against his old club after suffering a hamstring injury last weekend in what was Brisbane’s third straight loss, coming against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Hunt’s hamstring injury has been confirmed as a tear, and the club confirmed he is expected to be out for at least a month, although earlier reports suggested six weeks was the more likely timeline.
It means Hunt will certainly miss State of Origin 1, and is unlikely to be fit in time for Game 2 of the series either, with North Queensland Cowboys star Tom Dearden tipped to take his utility spot off the interchange bench.
The Broncos have also confirmed Jock Madden will miss a number of months as he undergoes surgery for a torn pectoral muscle, sustained during last weekend’s QLD Cup game.
Madden being out puts a further dent in Brisbane’s halves depth, with the only options beyond Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam now being Josh Rogers and rookie Coby Black.
Mam and Reynolds, who were the halves combination when Brisbane made the 2023 grand final, struggled throughout last year to keep the Red Hill-based outfit competitive, but will now look to quickly get back to their best.
Hunt’s injury means Mam returns to first-grade likely sooner than Michael Maguire would have originally desired, but it also means the youngster will have at least a month to lock down his spot, and ensure Hunt returns as a dummy half or bench utility, rather than in the number six jersey.
Brisbane’s run of two straight losses and three in their last four means they have slumped to seventh spot on the table after ten rounds with a five and five record ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Dragons, which will be followed by a bye, and then games against the Manly Sea Eagles and Gold Coast Titans before Hunt is a chance to return after the club’s second bye against the Cronulla Sharks in Round 16.
