Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam won’t be allowed to play in All Stars fixture due to drug driving suspension

Broncos star Ezra Mam was already serving a nine-match suspension following his drug driving saga and now he’s been ruled out of yet another game.

The NRL will reject Broncos star Ezra Mam from having the All Stars game counted in his drug driving suspension after allowing NSW Origin duo Latrell Mitchell and Josh Addo-Carr to exploit the loophole.

Mitchell and Addo-Carr have had their suspensions for off-field incidents reduced after making successful applications to the NRL.

In a major boost for South Sydney, Mitchell will be available for the Rabbitohs’ blockbuster season-opener against Wayne Bennett’s former club the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium.

Mitchell was hit with a one-game ban by the NRL last year after being photographed near a white substance in a Dubbo hotel room.

The Rabbitohs were unsuccessful in having a game last year count as the ban given Mitchell was injured, but they have had a win the second time around.

Ezra Mam. Picture: NRL Imagery

Eels recruit Addo-Carr was hit with a four-game ban after returning a positive result to cocaine at a roadside drug test in September while contracted to Canterbury.

He has already missed one NRL match and will now sit out the All Stars fixture and two NRL games in 2025.

Mam has been wiped out for the opening nine rounds of the 2025 Premiership after testing positive to cocaine following a head-on car crash in Brisbane last October.

He faced court in December and was hit with an $850 fine before the NRL and Broncos slugged him with $120,000 in total fines and the suspension.

Mam qualifies for All Stars selection with his Indigenous heritage, but given he has not played in the pre-season fixture before, the NRL has indicated it will not count the exhibition match as part of his ban.

That means he has effectively received a 10-game ban when the All Stars is included.

Broncos fullback Reece Walsh has previously had the All Stars game counted as part of a suspension when he was with the Warriors in 2022.

The decision effectively means Mam will actually miss 10-games. Picture: NewsWire

Walsh is eligible for the Indigenous and Maori All Stars teams but has never featured in the contest.

Mitchell has featured for the Indigenous All Stars four times, including as captain last year, while Addo-Carr is also a multiple game representative.

But Mam will have to wait until at least round 10 to play this season.

Mam has been training at Red Hill but is not permitted to play in the NRL or Hostplus Cup and Broncos coach Michael Maguire said the five-eighth was back on track following a stint in rehab.

“I have spoken to him quite a bit,” he said.

“He has gone through rehab and learnt a lot about himself. He’s taken responsibility by going to work and getting the real experience of what you do in life if you didn’t have football. He is growing.

“People face adversity every day. It tests their character and people have to deal with the situations they have been through.

“No doubt he will do that and it will be up to him to decide how his career will look moving forward. Everyone in life faces a challenge and it’s up to Ezra now to respond to this challenge.

“Plenty of people in life go through tough situations. You can always bounce back if you choose to and you do it the right way. I’ve spoken to him a number of times and he is keen to make amends, very much so.”

Originally published as Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam won’t be allowed to play in All Stars fixture due to drug driving suspension