Maguire refuses to guarantee Mam recall despite injury
Jasper Bruce |
Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has refused to guarantee Ezra Mam’s NRL exile will end next week, even after an injury to back-up five-eighth Ben Hunt.
But Hunt himself says it’s “pretty obvious” the out-of-sorts Broncos must recall Mam after the playmaker completed his nine-game ban for drug-driving.
Hunt injured his hamstring on a kick chase in the second half of Friday night’s 22-14 loss to South Sydney and is preparing for a stint on the sidelines.
“As soon as I took off, it just sort of grabbed or tightened,” Hunt said.
“I knew it wasn’t a cramp or something like that, it felt a bit more than that. I knew something was pretty wrong straight away.”
The Broncos booked Hunt for scans in Brisbane on Saturday afternoon, but the veteran is pessimistic about being fit in time for State of Origin I on May 28.
His injury has also seemingly cleared the way for Mam to make an NRL comeback against St George Illawarra next Sunday.
Mam has not played since August, having been banned for crashing his car into an Uber while under the influence of drugs and without a licence last October.
He was available for selection for the first time this week, but is making his return to the field with Queensland Cup side Souths Logan Magpies on Sunday.
Maguire previously declined to put a timeline on Mam’s return and did not change his stance at fulltime on Friday, despite Hunt’s injury.
“I’ll go through this game before we get to that,” said a terse Maguire.
But Hunt says Brisbane should recall the 22-year-old in round 11, when the Broncos will fight to avoid a three-game losing streak.
“To me, it’s pretty obvious that he’ll come back in if all goes well in his game on Sunday,” Hunt said.
“He’s been very good at training. From what I’ve seen, he’s been superb. He’s obviously playing a game on Sunday, so we’ll see how he goes there.”
No other fit half in Brisbane’s top-30 squad compares to Mam, the Broncos’ best player in their 2023 grand final loss and a likely Queensland representative of the future.
Jock Madden would be the leading alternative to Mam, had he not torn a pectoral muscle playing Queensland Cup last week.
Madden, who filled in for an injured Adam Reynolds last season, is set to undergo surgery and miss three months.
Uncapped teen Coby Black, rated a future star, and journeyman Perth product Josh Rogers are the remaining playmakers available.
Brisbane captain and halfback Reynolds pointed out Mam still had a game to play before any decision could be made.
“Like ‘Madge’ said, we’ll review this game,” Reynolds said.
“(Mam) has been training well, but he’s still got a game to get through.”
Maguire was visibly frustrated on Friday night after Brisbane gave up a 14-point halftime lead and conceded 22 unanswered points in the final stanza.
“We need to have a look at ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Well, what do you need to do, what do I need to do to make sure that we get it done?’,” Maguire said.
“We show signs of what we can do, but that’s irrelevant if you don’t do it for 80 minutes.”
AAP
