Broncos legend's surprising Ezra Mam call after disaster
Brisbane legend Justin Hodges has publicly called on the Broncos turn towards Ezra Mam to pull the club out of its slump.
The star playmaker made his rugby league return in the Queensland Cup on Sunday and watching the 22-year-old in action for 80 minutes was all Hodges needed to see to be convinced Mam is the missing ingredient the Broncos desperately need.
Mam is expected to be named in the Broncos No. 6 jersey when coach Michael Maguire announces his team for the club's Round 11 battle with the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
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Mam's return has been a debacle for the club after he was sensationally booed by spectators at Magic Round when his face was shown on the big screen inside the stadium.
The 2023 Dally M Five-Eighth of the Year was available for selection last week after serving a nine-match suspension.
The NRL handed Mam a breach notice in December after he had pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of illicit drugs without a licence following a car crash that injured three people in October.
He was fined $850 and disqualified from driving for a period of nine months by the Brisbane Magistrates Court. No conviction was recorded.
Mam in December accepted the nine week suspension and $120,000 in fines issued by the club and the league.
Despite this, Mam's return to the field will bring hope for Broncos supporters after watching the club lose four of its past five games.
Hodges' views on Mam's form and fitness will give Broncos fans even more hope.
The Queensland State of Origin great watched on in his assistant coach role with Souths Logan as Mam inspired the team to a 66-10 flogging of Western Clydesdale.
'He was outstanding. That just shows the type of player that he is,' Hodges told Code Sports.
'He is too good to be playing here but obviously it is a privilege to have him. He is a first grade player. I'm pretty sure he will be back up there next week.
'Once Ezra gets back things should change (for the Broncos who have won just five from 10).
'You have a look at the success they had in 2023, everything came off the back of Ezra and Adam Reynolds steering things around.
'Look at all those little neat and tidy things he did like popping up with off-loads, kick chases, and scoring tries off kicks. You need that guy … once Ezra gets back he will give them that confidence.''
Mam's return in the Queensland Cup appeared to be a disaster from his first tackle of the game when he was put on report for a high tackle.
He was not cited when the QRL announced its match review charges on Monday.
Hodges said he believes the penny has dropped for Mam after serving his suspension.
'He has learned his lesson. We all make mistakes. Hopefully he can move forward and have a great career,' he said.
According to foxsports.com.au Mam finished Sunday's game with one try, three try assists, two linebreaks, two linebreak assists, eight tackle busts, a 40/20 and 111 running metres.
The timing of Mam's return couldn't have been better for the Broncos with Ben Hunt and Jock Madden set for time on the sidelines.
Despite Hunt limping off with a hamstring injury during the Broncos' loss to the Rabbitohs, Maguire did not guarantee Mam's return.
The club's plan for the rest of the season was to move Hunt to hooker and have Mam in the halves, but Maguire must reassess after Hunt's injury.
While the halves conundrum will dominate team list Tuesday, Maguire's biggest concern right now is his side's form after they squandered a 14-0 half-time lead against the Rabbitohs.
'We didn't do what we did in the first half in the second half,' he said.
'We've got to learn how to do it for longer periods of time. It's as simple as that. We were disappointing in the second half.
'We have to learn how to do that or we'll keep bumbling like we did tonight. It's not good enough.'
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