Broncos stars appeal to Michael Maguire to reinstate Ezra Mam to the Brisbane side in round 10

Michael Maguire faces one of the most critical calls of his Broncos tenure — whether to bring back under-fire star Ezra Mam to his round 10 side, a move which has the support of Brisbane’s biggest stars.

Leading Broncos stars have appealed for Michael Maguire to reinstate Ezra Mam immediately in a bid to kickstart Brisbane’s spluttering attack and premiership assault.

Maguire faces one of the most critical calls of his Broncos tenure – whether to bring back under-fire pivot Mam for Friday night’s away clash against South Sydney at Accor Stadium.

Brisbane are licking their wounds after Sunday’s 32-8 Magic Round mauling at the hands of a Penrith grand-final nemesis that restricted the erratic Broncos to one try.

Mam’s nine-game suspension for driving with a drug in his system and driving without a licence is officially over, making the Broncos five-eighth available for selection at a time when Brisbane are teetering with a 5-4 record.

Maguire will name his extended 22-man squad on Tuesday. The Broncos coach originally warned Mam had to work hard to prove he is worthy of a recall, but star forward Pat Carrigan backed a push for the livewire pivot to be rushed back against the Rabbitohs.

“I would love to see him come back,” Carrigan said.

Ezra Mam is eligible for selection this round. Picture: Liam Kidston

“Ezra made a well-publicised mistake and he had to own that.

“As a friend, I have been supportive and we’ve helped him through this process.

“Ezra doesn’t deny what happened but he has done more than enough work on himself and he will continue to do so to put himself in a position to play for the Broncos again.

“’Madge’ (Maguire) has set a standard at our club and I don’t know if he will walk back in.

“Hard work in our building gets rewarded and there’s a few guys doing that at the moment.

“But Ezra is a good person at heart and I hope he gets another opportunity.”

Pat Carrigan believes Mam should return immediately. Picture: NRL photos

Mam was heavily booed when vision of him appeared on the Suncorp screens on Sunday, underscoring the public-relations battle to repair his image with many fans.

There was a view Maguire would make the 22-year-old earn his selection by returning with feeder-club Souths Logan in the Hostplus Cup to also help build some match fitness.

That was before Sunday’s horror show which not only saw Brisbane belted in midfield by

Penrith, but struggle to build pressure via veteran halves Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt.

The Hunt-Reynolds alliance has been solid if not spectacular in the opening nine rounds.

Mam’s recall would bring some X-factor to Brisbane’s offence, reprise his 2023 grand-final pairing with Reynolds and allow Hunt to shift to hooker, where many believe he is best suited.

Reece Walsh also appealed for the reinstatement of Ezra Mam. Picture: Liam Kidston

Superstar Broncos fullback Reece Walsh echoed Carrigan’s sentiments, dismissing concerns about a lack of match fitness.

“He has been doing a lot of stuff outside of footy to put himself in a good position to play,” Walsh said.

“He is training the house down. I’m excited for when he returns, I’m not sure when that is, but I know he will put his best foot forward for the club, the fans and everyone who has put faith in him.

“He is a pretty fit boy if I’m honest. I feel like we’re a better team when he is in it.

“I’m glad I’m not the coach. That’s up to Madge and the coaching staff to decide.”

Maguire said he remains undecided on whether to shake-up his halves but is confident Mam, who scored a hat-trick in the 2023 grand final, is battle-ready.

“He would be ready to play if he was called upon,” Maguire said.

“Until you play games, you can’t quantify that, but Ezra has done everything he possibly can to give himself the opportunity to come into selection.

“I will go through this game and work out which way we will go.

“I have been really pleased with what Ezra has been doing.

“There’s parts of his game that under repetition he hasn’t been able to have. That tends to be the defensive side.

“I have to make sure he is ready to go.”

Broncos legend Corey Parker said the recall of Mam is a no-brainer.

“I would put him straight back in,” Parker said.

“Ezra has served his suspension and he will bring some unpredictability to Brisbane’s attack.”

Originally published as Broncos stars appeal to Michael Maguire to reinstate Ezra Mam to the Brisbane side in round 10