Michael Maguire reveals how Ezra Mam is dealing with car crash ’wake up call’

Broncos star Ezra Mam is a week away from learning his fate after being charged with drug driving following a car crash in Brisbane. He’s ready to get his life and career back on track.

NRL 2024 RD18 Brisbane Broncos v Penrith Panthers - Ezra Mam. Photo: Scott Davis/NRL Imagery.

Broncos star Ezra Mam has vowed to “make amends” for the off-season scandal that has put his NRL career on hold and Brisbane in the spotlight.

Mam will front court in Brisbane on Monday week after being charged by police following a car crash in October.

The Brisbane five-eighth has been hit with drug driving and driving unlicensed charges following the head-on collision with a male Uber driver transporting a woman and her four-year-old daughter.

Mam, 21, entered a rehabilitation clinic three days after the crash and spent four weeks at the facility after the Broncos granted him leave from pre-season training to deal with the situation.

Ezra Mam will face court next week.. Photo: Scott Davis/NRL Imagery.

Since emerging from rehab a fortnight ago, Mam has been training twice a day and working as a labourer on building sites around south east Queensland for no extra pay.

Mam moves sites regularly to limit the chance of paparazzi finding him, but he will make a public appearance when he fronts court next week.

The saga is expected to cost Mam at least $500,000 and the NRL will deliver its findings and potential sanctions following the completion of court proceedings.

The Broncos are bracing for Mam to be fined by the NRL and suspended for at least the first two months of the 2025 Premiership.

New Broncos coach Michael Maguire has been in regular contact with Mam and said Brisbane’s 2023 grand final hero was determined to redeem himself.

Mam was involved in a head-on crash. Source: Supplied.

“I’ve spoken to him and he is keen to make amends, very much so,” he said.

“He has said he is taking responsibility for what needs to happen over this next period of time.

“People face adversity every day and it tests their character and people have to deal with the situations they have been through.

“No doubt he will do that and it will be up to him to decide how his career will look moving forward.

“Everyone in life faces a challenge and it’s up to Ezra now to respond to this challenge.

“Plenty of people in Brisbane go through tough situations. You can always bounce back if you choose to and you do it the right way.”

Mam has kept a low profile since the incident. Picture: David Clark

While Mam hasn’t been training with the Broncos at Red Hill, he has been doing his best to keep fit.

He completes gym and conditioning sessions in the morning and afternoon, spending the day labouring for a construction company.

Maguire said the taxing schedule had been a wake-up call for Mam, who has been part of the Broncos’ development system since his mid-teens.

“I have spoken to him quite a bit. He is working on himself and he’s getting a reality check,” Maguire said.

“He is training in the morning, then going to work, then coming back and training in the afternoon. That’s part of him having an experience of how special football is.

“He has gone through rehab and learnt a lot about himself. He’s taken responsibility by going to work and getting the real experience of what you do in life if you didn’t have football.

“He is growing and that’s a big part of what he is going through at the moment.

“He is realising what he has got when you have to go and do a hard day’s work. He is applying himself to that.

“He wants to learn and take the experience of that and make sure when the time is right, he comes back to us with a huge appreciation for what everyone does.”

Mam will be back at Broncos training in the New Year. Picture: Liam Kidston

While Mam has kept a low profile since the incident, that will change when he fronts court in the Brisbane CBD.

A media scrum will be awaiting Mam, who is expected to speak publicly for the first time after the hearing.

Maguire said the situation was serious but Mam was hoping to get back on track after the case is finalised.

“We all understand the enormity of it,” Maguire said.

“It’s very important we all take ownership.

“I don’t want to downgrade the situation at all. It’s a very serious situation, but I also want to provide the pathway forward for Ezra and the club.”