Billy Slater defends Ezra Mam selection call weeks after returning from drug-driving ban
Billy Slater has defended picking Ezra Mam for State of Origin just three games after his return from a drug-driving ban, adamant the Brisbane star will add to Queensland's squad.
Mam is expected to be rolled out as 18th man for next Wednesday's must-win clash at Optus Stadium in Perth, after being named in Slater's 20-man squad.
The uncapped Maroon will undergo scans on his knee before entering camp on Monday, after copping a knock in the Broncos' win over Gold Coast on Saturday night.
Queensland are confident he will be fit to line up, with Slater describing the injury as a 'bump' when he unveiled his squad on Monday morning.
It was always going to be contentious, with Slater dropping captain Daly Cherry-Evans and picking Tom Dearden to wear the No.7 jersey.
But Mam's selection has added to the headlines.
The Brisbane five-eighth copped a nine-match ban for crashing a car while driving unlicensed and with drugs in his system last October.
Three occupants of the Uber he collided with were injured, including a woman and her young daughter.
Mam was fined $120,000 by the NRL and subsequently attended a rehabilitation facility and worked on a job site before returning to pre-season training in January.
Slater said he had not had a chance to sense how remorseful Mam was, having only spoken to the 22-year-old on Sunday night to inform him of his selection.
'He's the right person for that position right now,' Slater said.
'I am sure people will have their speculation around all the people selected. That is OK, everyone is entitled to their opinion.
'He has been doing a great job since he returned. We feel the squad will benefit from him being here.'
Mam has played three NRL games since his return to the playing arena and was booed repeatedly by the Brookvale Oval crowd in the recent 34-6 loss to Manly.
But Slater said there was no doubt the Indigenous star had done enough to prove his worth to the Maroons squad, and put one question back on critics.
'Have you watched the couple of games back? He has been pretty good, I don't think he has skipped a beat,' Slater said.
'By all reports he has been doing a lot of training through the first half of the year while he was sitting out.
'He has been in this position before and been part of this squad before. I am sure he will take his opportunity if presented.'
On one level Mam's inclusion should come as no surprise.
After his three-try display in the 2023 grand final he was brought into his first pre-season Maroons camp in February of 2024.
Slater then invited him into camp ahead of game one of the 2024 Origin series as a player identified as a potential long-term in Queensland player.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
30 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Burton, Moses & Lomax ‘LIGHT UP' Accor
NRL: Matt Burton struck first for the Bulldogs with an intercept try before Zac Lomax and Mitchell Moses combined to do the same for the Eels.
The Advertiser
35 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
'He'll be ready': Walsh still in Slater's Maroons plans
The chances of Brisbane star fullback Reece Walsh playing for Queensland this year are alive and kicking after his endorsement by coach Billy Slater. The 22-year-old made a stunning return from a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury in the Broncos' 44-14 win over Gold Coast on Saturday after a six-week absence, scoring two tries and having a hand in two others while running for 163m. Walsh was the incumbent Maroons fullback but his injury opened the door for Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga to return to the No.1 jersey for the 18-6 loss in game one at Suncorp Stadium. While Walsh has not played enough football in the last two months to dislodge Ponga for game two in Perth, he is very much in Slater's thoughts for this series. Walsh, with his typical verve, had a message for Slater after his display against the Titans when he declared he was ready for a recall in game three in Sydney. "When you are a Queenslander, that's all you want to do," Walsh said. "If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go. If he doesn't, I'll still be cheering the boys and backing them at home." Slater, who gave the Broncos fullback his Origin debut in 2023, welcomed Walsh's comments when informed of them on Monday. "I've got no doubt he will be ready to go if called upon. You don't know what lies in the future," Slater said. "He has been a great member of this footy team in the past and instrumental in (the) 2023 (series win). It would be good to see him back playing a bit more footy. "I consider everything and I watch everything. It was great to see Reece back playing the way he was (for Brisbane). He's got a real spring in his step and a real energy about him. "I felt he made a real difference to the Broncos' performance." When asked if Walsh was still in his plans for this series, Slater was emphatic. "Absolutely. There is consideration all the time," he said. Ponga did not shine in the opening loss to NSW and will need to get the job done in Western Australia if he is to hang on to his position. The chances of Brisbane star fullback Reece Walsh playing for Queensland this year are alive and kicking after his endorsement by coach Billy Slater. The 22-year-old made a stunning return from a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury in the Broncos' 44-14 win over Gold Coast on Saturday after a six-week absence, scoring two tries and having a hand in two others while running for 163m. Walsh was the incumbent Maroons fullback but his injury opened the door for Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga to return to the No.1 jersey for the 18-6 loss in game one at Suncorp Stadium. While Walsh has not played enough football in the last two months to dislodge Ponga for game two in Perth, he is very much in Slater's thoughts for this series. Walsh, with his typical verve, had a message for Slater after his display against the Titans when he declared he was ready for a recall in game three in Sydney. "When you are a Queenslander, that's all you want to do," Walsh said. "If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go. If he doesn't, I'll still be cheering the boys and backing them at home." Slater, who gave the Broncos fullback his Origin debut in 2023, welcomed Walsh's comments when informed of them on Monday. "I've got no doubt he will be ready to go if called upon. You don't know what lies in the future," Slater said. "He has been a great member of this footy team in the past and instrumental in (the) 2023 (series win). It would be good to see him back playing a bit more footy. "I consider everything and I watch everything. It was great to see Reece back playing the way he was (for Brisbane). He's got a real spring in his step and a real energy about him. "I felt he made a real difference to the Broncos' performance." When asked if Walsh was still in his plans for this series, Slater was emphatic. "Absolutely. There is consideration all the time," he said. Ponga did not shine in the opening loss to NSW and will need to get the job done in Western Australia if he is to hang on to his position. The chances of Brisbane star fullback Reece Walsh playing for Queensland this year are alive and kicking after his endorsement by coach Billy Slater. The 22-year-old made a stunning return from a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury in the Broncos' 44-14 win over Gold Coast on Saturday after a six-week absence, scoring two tries and having a hand in two others while running for 163m. Walsh was the incumbent Maroons fullback but his injury opened the door for Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga to return to the No.1 jersey for the 18-6 loss in game one at Suncorp Stadium. While Walsh has not played enough football in the last two months to dislodge Ponga for game two in Perth, he is very much in Slater's thoughts for this series. Walsh, with his typical verve, had a message for Slater after his display against the Titans when he declared he was ready for a recall in game three in Sydney. "When you are a Queenslander, that's all you want to do," Walsh said. "If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go. If he doesn't, I'll still be cheering the boys and backing them at home." Slater, who gave the Broncos fullback his Origin debut in 2023, welcomed Walsh's comments when informed of them on Monday. "I've got no doubt he will be ready to go if called upon. You don't know what lies in the future," Slater said. "He has been a great member of this footy team in the past and instrumental in (the) 2023 (series win). It would be good to see him back playing a bit more footy. "I consider everything and I watch everything. It was great to see Reece back playing the way he was (for Brisbane). He's got a real spring in his step and a real energy about him. "I felt he made a real difference to the Broncos' performance." When asked if Walsh was still in his plans for this series, Slater was emphatic. "Absolutely. There is consideration all the time," he said. Ponga did not shine in the opening loss to NSW and will need to get the job done in Western Australia if he is to hang on to his position.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Jett Stanley out to make late grandad proud with Stradbroke Handicap victory
Jett Stanley reckons his late grandfather Jimmy will be smiling up in heaven if the Victorian jockey can win the Stradbroke Handicap. Stanley, 21, will fly up to Brisbane on Monday night in the hope that The Instructor can make the field for the $3m Stradbroke (1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott -trained gelding is currently No.29 in the ballot but has a slim chance of making the field given the attrition rate, with star horses such as Joliestar and Giga Kick to skip Queensland's most prestigious race. Stanley has only ridden in one Group 1 race, last year's The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick in October when he finished 14th on Immediacy, more than 10 lengths behind the winner Land Legend. 'It's what every jockey dreams about,' he said on Monday about potentially winning his first major. 'I've always wanted to win a Group 1, ever since I was a five-year-old kid and to be able to do it in the Stradbroke would be an unreal feeling. 'My late grandfather Jimmy always wanted me to win a Group 1 but he felt it had to be the Stradbroke. 'I don't know why, he never really told us, but to possibly have the opportunity is a great thrill in itself, especially for great trainers like Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. 'Jimmy was a jockey around the Gundagai area and won metro races in Sydney. 'He'd be up there in heaven cheering me on and everyone in my family will be watching, we're a massive racing family.' Stanley's father Brent saluted in the 1996 Caulfield Cup as a teen jockey on Arctic Scent and won the race as a trainer, while Jett's mother Paris's dad Terry Millard was also a trainer. The young hoop, who started his career in Perth under trainers Grant and Alana Williams, remembers getting paid 50 cents for cleaning out a stable during school holidays at age eight. Stanley ended his apprenticeship in April when he rode The Instructor to victory in the Listed Hareeba Stakes (1200m) at Mornington. He was aboard the gelding for his third placing in the Wagga Town Plate early last month before Adam Hyeronimus steered the galloper to victory in his last start, the Listed Luskin Star Stakes at Scone on May 17. 'Quietly, I do give him a sneaky chance,' Stanley said if The Instructor happens to land a run in the Stradbroke. 'He tries his heart out for me, no matter what race he's in and I can't be happier with all the reports that I'm getting from Queensland.' Bott has his fingers crossed that his rising star The Instructor can sneak into the Stradbroke field, adamant the four-year-old is in 'career-best form'. 'He'll get a nice light weight (52kg) and he's in the right time of his career to take advantage of it,' Bott said. 'He's deep into the prep and he's holding up with career-best form. 'Coming up to a high-pressure handicap where he's got a light weight, I think that would suit really well. 'That trip (1400m) is probably right in his sweet spot where he can be most effective.'
