Robert Craddock: Broncos bad boy Ezra Mam tormented by Manly crowd - and it took its toll

Brisbane Broncos bad boy Ezra Mam was rattled by a hostile crowd at Manly – if he does not learn to handle it it could ruin his winter or worse, writes ROBERT CRADDOCK.

Ezra Mam may need to immerse himself in a mental flak jacket to combat the crowd abuse which clearly rattled him against Manly on Saturday.

Hidden beneath the major headlines of the Broncos’ buttock-clenchingly bad loss to Manly was the personal battle between Mam, his own bubbling emotions and a crowd hellbent on reminding him of his recently troubled past.

Most times Mam touched the ball the crowd booed loudly.

It was a reference to his new “bad boy” status after being convicted for driving with drugs in his system in a crash in which three people, including a young girl, were injured.

Many fans think he got off lightly with a nine-week ban.

At Suncorp Stadium in his comeback game against the Dragons, the crowd jeered Mam early but later cheered him as he was clearly the Broncos’ best player.

But there was no such respite for him against a relentless, close-up, hot-blooded suburban crowd at 4 Pines Park.

Clearly the abuse got to him. When he scored the Broncos’ only try he held his arms out towards the crowd in a “how am I travelling now?” gesture but the joy was short-lived.

His game dissolved with some forward passes and a knock-on and he became agitated by the errors and looked completely exasperated by the end of the game.

From English soccer to the NRL to major league codes in the US, rival crowds love taunting a bad boy.

The challenge for Mam is to find a way of coping with the abuse, which seems certain to rain down upon him when the Broncos head south this season.

The more emotion he shows the more taunts he will cop. It will be a searching test of his strength of character.

THE MISSING MAN

When Kurt Capewell left the Broncos, no fans shed tears … they should have.

Capewell arrived at the Broncos after playing in a premiership for the Panthers, then he played in a grand final for the Broncos before leaving for the Warriors, who are now in great form.

Capewell deserves what he gets. He is not a standout player but he drives standards off the field and keeps other players accountable.

When he left the Broncos as a result of salary cap constraints, one player reportedly spoke up behind closed doors and told management “this is a mistake … we will miss him.” They have.

Brisbane has missed Kurt Capewell’s leadership. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

THE BELL TOLLS

It will be interesting to see the ­aftermath of Craig Bellamy’s smart work in plotting his star Storm hooker Harry Grant’s demise in the first State of Origin match.

Bellamy’s finger prints were all over the NSW plan to exhaust Grant, who was lacking in match practice. It worked splendidly as Grant played the worst match of his senior career but now the duo has to relink and try to win a premiership for the Storm.

Surely if you were Grant you would not be in love with the idea of your club coach plotting your downfall in the biggest match of the season.

CHERRY ON TOP

Daly Cherry-Evans’ masterful performance for Manly against the Broncos will echo all the way to the State of Origin selection room.

It was one of the most dominant performances by a playmaker this season and will ensure his retention for Origin II in Perth … but a loss there would almost certainly end his representative career.