Ezra Mam spotted at Brisbane Broncos training as Adam Reynolds set for surprise switch
The five-eighth was recently hit with a nine-game ban and $120,000 fine from the NRL.
Ezra Mam was spotted at Brisbane Broncos training on Tuesday in his first appearance at the club since copping a nine-game ban and $120,000 fine from the NRL. The five-eighth will miss the first nine games of the 2025 season after a car crash in October while unlicensed and with a drug in his system.
Mam is allowed to train with the Broncos squad during his ban, but can't play NRL games or in the second-tier Queensland Cup. Coach Michael Maguire is clearly keen to keep him around the squad during his suspension as he'll be integral to their chances once he returns.
Mam looked fit as he hit the training paddock on Tuesday and started the session in a fitness drill alongside new Broncos signing Ben Hunt. Mam is said to have worked closely with Hunt and attack coach Trent Barrett during the field session, doing kicking and passing drills before some ball work.
The Broncos are well within their rights to have Mam at training during his ban, but the sight of his return on Tuesday didn't sit well with some fans still angry at his perceived 'lenient' punishment. Speaking before the Christmas break, NRL greats Scott Sattler and Mat Rogers debated when the Broncos should get Mam back to training and around his teammates.
"Going to training is different to playing," Rogers said on SEN radio. "I'm not saying let him back in (to play), but it's his job. I don't think he'll be playing for the first few months of the season, but he's still got to do his job. You have to be allowed to go to work."
Sattler added: "There's going to be a media frenzy when he does return to training, but you just have to rip the band-aid off. The sooner the better. And sometimes getting back amongst teammates is the best way to be re-introduced into society. And being able to get back to normality."
Ben Hunt looking fit and fresh at Broncos pre-season training
Mam won't be available to make his NRL return until Brisbane's round 10 clash with South Sydney, but is expected to slot straight back in at five-eighth. Hunt will likely take the No.6 jersey during Mam's absence before switching to hooker once he returns.
According to reports, Hunt looked in peak condition on Tuesday and put on a clinic with his kicking drills. He trained in the halves and at hooker while the squad did ball work, with halfback and captain Adam Reynolds watching on closely as he recovers from neck surgery over the Christmas break.
Adam Reynolds to make key change to 2025 preparations
Reynolds will miss a month of the pre-season but is in no doubt for the Broncos' first game of the season. He's also expected to make a massive change to his preparation for the new season and make a rare appearance for the Broncos in the NRL Pre-season Challenge in February against the Bulldogs.
The 34-year-old has a running joke that he "doesn't play trials", but the Broncos want him playing in the pre-season to work on his combination with new halves partner Hunt. The former Dragons captain is expected to make his pre-season debut in the fixture against Canterbury.
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Whether Reynolds remains captain in 2025 remains to be seen, with Maguire weighing up whether to start fresh and hand it to Patrick Carrigan. Reynolds isn't likely to play every game in 2025 due to his ageing body, and the fact he needed pre-season surgery suggests it might be wiser for Maguire to hand the captaincy to Carrigan.
