NRL 2022: Broncos unveil halves pairing of the future, Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds
They’ll play together for the first time on Saturday but Brisbane’s new playmaking pair could be the club’s scrumbase duo for the next three years.
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Broncos coach Kevin Walters will unveil what could be Brisbane’s long-term halves pairing in Adam Reynolds and young gun Ezra Mam as the club’s Origin quartet push to back up against Canberra.
Reynolds and Mam will partner each other for the first time in Saturday night’s clash against the rising Raiders at Suncorp Stadium.
The Reynolds-Mam combination is the playmaking partnership Walters hopes can deliver sustained success at Red Hill for at least the next three years.
Reynolds has missed Brisbane’s past two games with groin and hamstring injuries which opened the door for Mam to make his NRL debut alongside Tyson Gamble.
Mam, 19, has retained his spot in the halves after Gamble sustained a stress fracture in his lower leg which could see him miss about a month of action.
While Gamble has been viewed as somewhat of a stop-gap at five-eighth, he hasn’t lost a game since being recalled in round 7.
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“I’ve had it for a little bit. It doesn’t cause me much pain, it’s an annoyance more than anything,” Gamble said.
“Hopefully I’m back in the next few weeks. It is annoying but that’s footy, not everything goes to plan.
“I was happy with the way I was playing. Hopefully when I come back I can slot straight in.”
Reynolds, 31, has been entrusted with mentoring Mam, who the Broncos hope can have a 10-year career in Brisbane’s halves.
The indigenous dynamo set the Intrust Super Cup alight last season to be crowned rookie-of-the-year and has made an encouraging start to his NRL career, scoring a try in Brisbane’s sixth straight win against the Titans.
With 240 games of NRL experience, Gamble said Reynolds would be the perfect foil for Mam in the early stages of his first grade career.
“He (Reynolds) gives everybody confidence, even when he’s not playing,” he said.
“He was the one that wanted Ezra to debut against the Knights. He gave him all the confidence to play that game and then in the next game (Titans) he played even better.
“It’s a credit to Ezra because there’s been a lot of hype around him and how he played last year in Cup. He stood up to that and is playing some really good footy.
“It sucks I’m out but will be good for fans and the club to see how he goes playing alongside ‘Reyno’.”
The Broncos went into last weekend’s bye in fourth spot on the ladder following six straight wins.
They will face a tough test against the improving Raiders, who have won four of their past five games following a poor start to the season.
Blues representatives Kotoni Staggs and Payne Haas are in doubt with shoulder concerns while Queensland duo Pat Carrigan and Selwyn Cobbo will be assessed at training on Friday before deciding whether they will back-up.
No matter who plays, prop Keenan Palasia said the Broncos had the depth to make it seven straight against Canberra.
“Over the last six games we’ve proven that whoever fills in any spot, we can get a win,” he said.
“We’ve got depth in our squad now which will help us over the Origin period. Whoever it is, we’re always ready to do the job.
“They’ve got a big, strong and skilful forward pack like us so it will be a good game through the middle.
“If everyone does their own jobs, we should be able to get the job done.”
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Originally published as NRL 2022: Broncos unveil halves pairing of the future, Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds
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