NRL news: Ezra Mam a bolter for Brisbane Broncos No.6 jersey
A plan to move Kotoni Staggs to five-eighth is off, but a rising star is in the mix to claim Brisbane’s prized No.6 jersey.
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Broncos teenage sensation Ezra Mam has rocketed into the mix for the No.6 jumper with coach Kevin Walters revealing he has officially aborted plans for Kotoni Staggs to move to five-eighth.
The Broncos started pre-season on Monday and Walters has made his first major positional call, insisting Staggs will stay at centre as he declared Brisbane’s famous No.6 jumper up for grabs for their premiership opener against Souths.
Staggs inked a four-year, $2.8 million extension in May and as part of the upgrade, the strike centre spoke to Walters about the prospect of making a career switch into a playmaking role at second receiver.
But Walters believes Staggs is most lethal in the threequarters — opening the door for a raft of candidates to partner Adam Reynolds in the halves including Tyson Gamble, Albert Kelly and the coach’s son Billy Walters.
But the left-field bolter is Mam, a quick-stepping Queensland under-18s whizkid whom Broncos football boss Ben Ikin has likened to Cowboys legend Matt Bowen with his attacking instincts and speed off the mark.
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While it would be a huge gamble to start Mam in round one, the Broncos have made their intentions clear by adding the young gun to their top 30 full-time squad.
The Goodna Eagles product scored 13 tries in 11 games this year for Souths Logan — including a hat-trick in his Intrust Super Cup debut — and Walters confirmed the teenager was a contender for the five-eighth slot.
“Ezra was outstanding this year in the Intrust Super Cup as an 18-year-old kid so I’ve certainly got my eye on him,” Walters said.
“Kotoni will start the year in the centres.
“I like what Kotoni brings to us out wide, so the No.6 jersey is up for grabs for someone who wants to make it theirs in pre-season.
“We have a number of options in Albert Kelly, Tyson Gamble, Billy Walters and just recently we added young Ezra Mam to our squad.
“Competition is great for all positions.”
Ikin has himself worn the Broncos No.6 jumper made famous by Wally Lewis and Darren Lockyer, playing five-eighth as he and Walters piloted Brisbane to the club’s fifth premiership win in 2000.
Now, two decades later, former Queensland Origin utility Ikin believes Mam has the skill set to flourish at the Broncos serving his apprenticeship under key halfback recruit Reynolds.
“Ezra is a very natural player,” Ikin said.
“He has the same skip and acceleration of a Matt Bowen. One minute they are in front of you and the next minute they are gone.
“There’s a whole lot of things he does in a game that can’t be coached, but he is also quickly developing solid game awareness in and around all the natural skill and ability he has got.
“He is a solid defender who makes good decisions and is getting better at understanding what a playmaker needs to do on behalf of the team to get a result.
“His development will only accelerate by the time he gets in and around Adam Reyolds who is one of the game’s best playmakers.”
In a dream rookie season for Souths Logan, Mam produced eight try assists and four line-break assists and is also a handy goalkicker.
His highlights reel is impressive with the well-built Mam having used a strong fend to pierce through the line and score a number of long-range tries for the Magpies, convincing the Broncos he is NRL quality.
“Ezra can play both five-eighth and halfback,” Ikin said.
“He has a great running game, very subtle skill and a good passing game.
Ezra can play tough as well, he isn’t afraid of contact either side of the ball.
“He has the world at his feet and doesn’t shy away from the hard work at training. He is giving himself every chance to fulfil his potential.
“It’s a question for the coach on when Ezra plays (NRL), but there is great competition for five-eighth spots.
“Reynolds is going to be the seven and with Ezra coming into the top 30 alongside Tyson Gamble, Albert Kelly and Billy Walters, it’s a healthy position for the club to be in.”
Unvaxxed crackdown: Broncos avoid stadium lockout
By Travis Meyn, Peter Badel
The Brisbane Broncos have reached 100 per cent Covid compliance as the Queensland Government banned unvaccinated players from stadiums in the state.
Every Broncos player has received at least one dose of a Covid vaccination, ensuring they are on track to play in next year’s NRL season, which was revealed on Tuesday.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a host of new Covid guidelines as the state heads towards the 80 per cent vaccinated milestone.
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Once Queensland reaches 80 per cent double-vaccination, predicted to be December 17, a range of restrictions will be introduced. Unvaccinated people will not be allowed to enter hospitality venues, stadiums or festivals.
That means any unvaccinated athletes will be banned from playing at the likes of Suncorp Stadium, the Gabba and Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
While the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys have been dealing with vaccine-hesitant players, the Broncos have got their entire group to comply.
“We have been speaking to the playing group for some time,” Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy said.
“We have been at 100 per cent for some time, but the players are very similar to the community in Queensland. At first there was a bit of apathy toward the Covid vaccine because of the community situation up here which has been incredibly well-handled.
“If we were ever going to get back to normal as a game and as a community, there is a role for us all to play. I have had my shot a couple of months ago and pleased to say all our guys are on track to be fully vaccinated by the time borders reopen.
“Now that the guys are back and they understand what happens if you are vaccinated or unvaccinated and the realities of that, it became pretty apparent and there has been no push back.
“I have been delighted about the work Kevin Walters, our doctors and Ben Ikin have put into educating our players and the importance around travelling interstate and getting into stadiums as of today.”
More than 95 per cent of NRL players have been vaccinated, however some big-name stars are refusing to get the jab.
Among them is Melbourne Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona while Queensland Origin star Josh Papalii has previously indicated he will not receive the vaccine.
Gold Coast Titans centre Brian Kelly last year initially declined to receive a flu jab, but the club insists it will reach 100 per cent vaccination, along with the Brisbane Broncos.
North Queensland captain Jason Taumalolo was hesitant to receive the vaccine but it has been reported he will be inoculated.
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said the league was expecting the Queensland Government’s decision, which will be reviewed if the state hits 90 per cent fully vaccinated next year.
“It’s something we were anticipating,” he said.
“We are at over 95 per cent vaccination rate across the competition. Some clubs are at 100 per cent. Whilst we haven’t mandated vaccinations, we have been incredibly strong in educating and facilitating as many players as possible getting vaccinated.
“We have always said we would adhere to public health orders. That will mean the very small group of players that choose not to be vaccinated will have to adhere to those public health orders.
“We are working on some pretty stringent protocols because we have anticipated a landscape that is unfolding as it is. Those protocols are designed to keep everyone safe and the competition running.”
The Broncos started pre-season training this week in preparation for the Round 1 blockbuster against Adam Reynolds’ former club South Sydney on March 11.
The Broncos have the opportunity to start the first month of the season with some good results but overall have a challenging draw.
After finishing 14th this year, they will face 2021 top eight teams the Storm, Rabbitohs, Roosters, Eels and Knights twice next season.
Donaghy said the Broncos were excited about their bumper start to the year with six of their first eight games in Queensland.
“The draw is terrific for us,” he said.
“We open the season with a home game against South Sydney at Suncorp, what a way to start the season. Our little halfback recruit (Adam Reynolds) wasn’t meant to be back at training until mid-December and he was in the office last Thursday. He is keen.
“The team has four months to get better, but as a club we will be highlighting that Souths game and the Cowboys game in round three on a Sunday. We haven’t played the Cowboys on a Sunday for 16 years, so those two games are potential sell outs.
“There will be no better way to start the rugby league season in Queensland with two big home games and we want them to be sell-outs.”
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Originally published as NRL news: Ezra Mam a bolter for Brisbane Broncos No.6 jersey
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