Queensland NRL teams round 10: Ezra Mam won’t make Broncos return
Broncos coach Michael Maguire has made a statement of the cultural standards he expects at Red Hill, resisting the temptation to rush Ezra Mam back into the halves in the wake of the club’s drubbing in Magic Round. QLD TEAM NEWS
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Ezra Mam won’t be given a saloon passage back to the Broncos with coach Michael Maguire overlooking the controversial pivot for Friday night’s clash against South Sydney.
Maguire has made a statement of the cultural standards he expects at Red Hill, resisting the temptation to rush Mam back into the halves in the wake of last week’s 32-8 Magic Round drubbing by the Panthers.
Mam’s nine-week suspension for driving with a drug in his system and driving without a licence is officially over, and he will make his return for feeder club Souths Logan in Sunday’s Hostplus Cup clash against Toowoomba at Davies Park.
There was a push for Mam to be reinstated to the Broncos side immediately to spark Brisbane’s attack as they prepare to face Souths with a mediocre 5-4 record.
But Maguire has made it clear Mam will have to win back trust and respect, with skipper Adam Reynolds confirming his 2023 grand-final halves partner will make his return via the Magpies.
“He won’t play (for the Broncos) this week,” Reynolds said.
“He has worked extremely hard in the whole pre-season. He is in a good space at the moment. He obviously wants to work on his game and get back to playing NRL and I have no doubt that he will.
“He has been in a good mindspace for the last couple of weeks and been supportive of the team getting out to every game. It’s good to see him working on himself.
“Any player who has spent a long time out of the game, they want to get their timing back and go through the simple things and make sure they do that right.
“It would be wrong of us to just stick him out there and think he can do the job straight away.
“The NRL is pretty tough and it’s demanding.
“He is excited to get back and work on himself and his game. It won’t be long before he is back in the NRL.”
Mam was booed when his face appeared on the big screen at Suncorp Stadium last Sunday, underlining the public-relations battle he faces to repair his image following his car-crash scandal last October.
Reynolds acknowledged Mam’s sins but said the Broncos were sticking by a 22-year-old whom he claims is genuinely remorseful.
Asked if the fans should stop booing Mam, the Broncos captain said: “That’s up to everyone else to decide.
“What I do know is that Ezra has been at every game this year supporting the boys whether we are winning or losing.
“He is a key part of this team. Fans and everyone will have their opinions and rightfully so, but we stick by Ezra and stand by him.
“I’ve been super impressed (with his attitude), it’s quite easy to sit there and feel sorry for yourself.
“He has done a lot of great things in the background, not only at training but away from training. There’s a lot of things that a lot of people don’t know what he is doing.
“It’s good to see him in good spirits. We love Ez and love what he brings, no doubt it will be good to have him back when he gets back in.”
Broncos centre Kotoni Staggs, who overcame some off-field dramas early in his career to become a part of Brisbane’s leadership group, said Mam would benefit from time in second-tier football.
“Ez is keen on getting some footy under his belt,” he said.
“He hasn’t played for a long time and I think there is no better way than for him to go back to (Queensland) Cup and have a game there and see how he goes.
“Obviously what he went through, everybody makes mistakes. He has learned. I have been through that and learned the hard way as well.
“He has taken it pretty deep that what he has done wrong he has done wrong. Obviously he is trying to push that to the side now.
“Our fans love him. People do some stupid stuff when you are younger and you live and learn. I don’t think they will boo him, our fans anyway.
“They (Broncos fans) want to see him back as much as we want to see him back.
“He has the confidence in the team that he knows we have got his back.”
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Originally published as Queensland NRL teams round 10: Ezra Mam won’t make Broncos return
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