Ezra Mam won’t be rushed straight back into the Brisbane Broncos’ first-grade team this weekend, with coach Michael Maguire opting for a cautious approach. Mam got a taste of what he can expect when he returns from a nine-game ban when he was booed by fans during Brisbane’s Magic Round loss to Penrith on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.
Considering the Broncos were thrashed 32-8 by the Panthers on their home turf, many expected Mam to come straight back into the NRL team for their clash with Souths on Friday night. But he will instead make his return on Sunday for affiliate club Souths-Logan against the Townsville Blackhawks in Queensland Cup.
There was a telling moment during the game on Sunday that showed Mam could be in for a tough time from rival fans when he makes his return. The Brisbane playmaker was sitting on the sidelines when vision of him popped up on the big screens around Suncorp Stadium, followed by a chorus of boos that rang out around the ground.
The fact Mam was being booed at his home ground made it even more brutal for the 22-year-old, but there were undoubtedly more rival supporters than usual because it was Magic Round. It will be curious to see what sort of reception he gets from fans when he does play at Suncorp Stadium for the rest of the season. Considering the divisive nature of his drug-driving scandal, the reaction towards Mam was perhaps not surprising and his popularity with some supporters has clearly taken a hit.
Mam copped a massive suspension and fines totalling $120,000 over his drug-driving scandal from last year. A magistrate told the Broncos playmaker he was lucky not to have killed anyone when he crashed into an Uber containing three people while driving unlicensed and under the influence of cocaine last October.
The Brisbane five-eighth pleaded guilty and was banned from driving for six months and copped an $850 fine, but many critics argued the punishment was too lenient. The 22-year-old subsequently entered rehab before rejoining the Broncos squad and Mam made a public apology in February after admitting that he had let himself, the club and its fans down.
Michael Maguire faces a big decision around Ezra Mam
Speaking on Sunday after their loss to the Panthers, Maguire addressed Mam’s return. “I’ll go through this game and work out which way we’ll go,” he said. “There’s parts of his game that under repetition he hasn’t been able to have. That tends to be the defensive side.
“I have to make sure he is ready to go. I talk to my leaders all the time about how the team looks and what we’re doing and what we’re moving towards.”
While Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt have been solid in the halves for Brisbane this season, the one knock on the pair is that they both have quite similar games. On the flip side, the livewire Mam offers something completely different and his more dynamic running game could help unlock Brisbane and some of their other attacking weapons.
If and when Maguire deems Mam ready to return to NRL level, he’ll likely slot in at No.6 and push Hunt to hooker. That would likely see Billy Walters revert to the bench and Cory Paix axed from the first-grade team.
Maguire believes there is no need to rush Mam back into action before he’s ready after a 5-4 start to the season for his side. “(Mam) will be ready to play if he was called upon. Until you’re actually playing games, you can’t qualify on that,” the coach said. “But he’s done everything he possibly can to give himself the opportunity to come into selection.”
