Mam’s masterclass came after a bizarre incident that left fans fuming.
Broncos star Ezra Mam defied the boos to deliver a masterclass second half comeback against Canterbury on Friday night. But NRL fans were left seething over a controversial second half incident that went missed, and should have seen Canterbury fullback Connor Tracey sin-binned in the 22-18 loss at Accor Stadium.
Brisbane were missing four of their best players on State of Origin duty and Selwyn Cobbo had a shocker at fullback in place of Maroons’ 18th man Reece Walsh after gifting the Dogs two of their tries. But after looking dead and buried after trailing 18-0 at halftime – courtesy of tries to Bulldogs trio Marcelo Montoya, Matt Burton and Viliame Kikau – Mam engineered an epic turnaround that helped Brisbane seal their fourth-straight win.
Mam was booed every time he touched the ball, as Bulldogs fans let the Brisbane No.6 know exactly what they thought about his drug-driving controversy from last year. But after a poor first half in which the Dogs ran rampant, the controversial Broncos playmaker stood up in the second 40, laying on three tries to help Brisbane snatch a miraculous four-point win.
The result kept the Broncos within two wins of the top four and the injury-hit Warriors, and marked their second victory over Canterbury this year. Michael Maguire’s men scored four tries in the final 20 minutes to complete the epic turnaround, and Mam was at the heart of just about everything as Brisbane kept the Dogs scoreless in the second half as Mam had the last laugh on his detractors.
Canterbury were also missing several players on Origin duty, with coach Cameron Ciraldo making a late call to shift Matt Burton to centre and start with Lachie Galvin at No.6. But the move raised more questions about how Canterbury’s star recruit fits into the Bulldogs’ halves combination, with Galvin and Dogs No.7 Toby Sexton both guilty of pushing too many passes and searching for points.
But for 60 minutes the Bulldogs looked in control, before Mam breathed life into the Broncos by finding space out wide and setting up their first try for Josiah Karapani – who has impressed after replacing Cobbo on the wing. Mam then lay on a beautiful cut-out ball to put centre Delouise Hoeter between two defenders to reduce the deficit to eight points, before interchange Billy Walters scurried over from dummy half to score in his 100th game for the club.
Broncos seal comeback win despite late controversy
With Brisbane two points down in the final 10 minutes and smelling blood in the water, controversy erupted when Kotoni Staggs was blatantly taken out by Tracey after kicking for himself down the right touchline. Referee Todd Smith, the linesman and the Bunker all failed to award the Broncos a penalty, leaving viewers furious on social media, but Brisbane got the ball back after Galvin batted the ball into touch.
Fortunately, the officiating howler did not end up costing Brisbane victory as Mam produced another moment of magic off the ensuing set to wrap up an incredible win. The Broncos five-eighth juggled the ball before a sweetly timed sort ball for Brendan Piakura sent the Brisbane second-rower crashing over for the match-winner and silencing the home fans.