NRL Market Watch: Ezra Mam and Brisbane Broncos near final stages of contract talks

Brisbane star Ezra Mam is set to join an exclusive NRL club, as he nears the final stages of a multi-year contract extension with the Broncos.

Ezra Mam passes the ball during a Brisbane Broncos NRL training session at Red Hill on January 10, 2024 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Brisbane’s NRL grand final sensation Ezra Mam has spurned a cross-town poaching raid from the Dolphins and committed his long-term future to the Broncos.

Mam will celebrate his 21st birthday next week by formalising a multi-year contract extension that will see him enter an exclusive NRL club in the latter stages.

Mam has agreed to the deal and will put pen to paper on the biggest contract of his blossoming career in the coming days before it is formally announced ahead of the Broncos’ departure for Las Vegas next month.

The retention of Mam is another coup for the Broncos and coach Kevin Walters as the club continues its resurrection following the 2020 wooden spoon debacle.

Mam, who turns 21 on Wednesday, joins the likes of Origin stars Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh and Selwyn Cobbo in committing their futures to the Broncos until at least the end of 2025, ensuring the club remains in a premiership window.

Ezra Mam is poised to join the NRL’s $1 million club. Picture: Getty Images

The Broncos will now shift their attention to securing Walsh beyond 2025 before he becomes arguably the hottest free agent in recent history from November 1 this year.

The Broncos went within a whisker of clinching their first NRL title since 2006 last year, losing a dramatic grand final to Penrith in the dying minutes.

Mam was on the verge of collecting the Clive Churchill Medal after scoring a game-changing hat-trick in the decider before Panthers star Nathan Cleary orchestrated a stunning comeback.

The Broncos five-eighth’s eye-catching performance on the big stage made him one of the NRL’s hottest free agents when he hit the open market in November, with multiple clubs expressing interest in the Indigenous fan favourite.

Among those suitors was the cashed-up Dolphins, who lured Broncos grand final stars Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler to Redcliffe this year with massive offers.

However the Broncos have fended off their rivals to secure Queensland’s most promising young playmaker.

Walters recently said he was confident of retaining Mam and he has been vindicated.

“I believe it’s getting very close,” he said.

“It’s up to the powers that be to get together. I’m sure it will happen, it’s just a matter of when.

Ezra Mam has no plans to leave Red Hill. Picture: Liam Kidston

“I’m very confident he’ll stay. He loves the place here and we love him.

“Our management are working hard to get the right deal for Ezra.”

The deal will see Mam receive a sizeable upgrade with incremental increases on the back of the NRL’s sizeable salary cap boost as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Broncos are close to re-signing captain Adam Reynolds for a final season in 2025 before he departs and Mam becomes Brisbane’s chief shot-caller in the halves.

Reynolds will be rested from Brisbane’s first pre-season trial against the Cowboys on February 18, with the team to depart for the United States on February 22 in preparation for the Las Vegas season-opener against the Roosters.

SMOOTHY EXTENDS STAY AT BRONCOS

The long-term fight for Brisbane’s No. 9 jersey has intensified after the Broncos re-signed grand final utility Tyson Smoothy.

Smoothy has inked a one-year extension with the Broncos until the end of the 2025 season after resurrecting his NRL career last year.

Smoothy, 24, made his NRL debut for Melbourne in 2021, playing four games that season, before dropping off the radar in 2022.

But he earned a recall with the Broncos midway through last year and played a crucial role in Brisbane’s run to the grand final against Penrith, making 13 appearances as Billy Walters’ back-up.

Billy Walters has plenty of hookers nipping at his heels. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Tyson Smoothy has extended his stay at the Broncos. Picture: Liam Kidston

Walters made the hooker role his own last year, but a tug of war has emerged among Smoothy, Cory Paix and rising star Blake Mozer.

Mozer was earmarked as Brisbane’s long-term No. 9, but the rise of Walters has disrupted those plans and now Smoothy is making a fist of the bench duties and standing in Mozer’s way.

Walters is off-contract at the end of this year but expected to extend his tenure while Mozer is contracted until the end of 2025.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters said Smoothy had been a valuable addition to the club.

Young gun Blake Mozer is contracted to the club through 2025. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Tyson made the most of his opportunity after joining us at the start of last pre-season as a train-and-trial player and all his hard work paid off as the year went on,” he said.

“He has a great attitude both on and off the field, knows what his role is and really fits into the team and what it means to be a Bronco.

“It’s great news that he has signed a contract extension and it’s thoroughly deserved.”

Smoothy joins a host of Broncos to commit to the club until at least the end of 2025 including Payne Haas, Pat Carrigan, Jordan Riki, Brendan Piakura, Reece Walsh, Kotoni Staggs, Selwyn Cobbo, Kobe Hetherington, Jesse Arthars, Corey Jensen, Deine Mariner, Xavier Willison, Tristan Sailor and Mozer.

The Broncos are in camp on the Sunshine Coast this week.