Adam Reynolds in telling call on Broncos' pursuit of Ben Hunt after message for Ezra Mam

The Brisbane Broncos have not given up hope of luring Ben Hunt back to the club, with veteran No.7 Adam Reynolds admitting his NRL rival would be a "great addition" to the team. The Bulldogs have emerged as frontrunners for the prized signature of Hunt, who revealed recently that his family was settled in Sydney and indicated that it was his preference to stay.

Hunt had previously spoken of his desire to return to Queensland to play for the Broncos again, but recent developments would suggest that's looking less likely. New Broncos coach Michael Maguire has previously spoken about the club's interest in players of Hunt's calibre and Brisbane would certainly welcome him back with open arms.

The Broncos are likely to be without Ezra Mam for the first couple of months of the 2025 season after the five-eighth was charged over an alleged drug driving incident in October. Mam has been charged by Queensland Police for driving under the influence of drugs and being unlicensed after a head-on collision that reportedly left a four-year-old girl with a broken hip. He's set to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on December 16.

Mam is expected to cop a large fine from the NRL and faces a likely ban of around eight weeks, meaning Maguire will have a hole to fill in his halves for the start of the new season. And Reynolds told The Courier Mail he would love to have someone of Hunt's quality beside him and has backed the Broncos' reported pursuit of the 34-year-old after revealing he'd heard the rumours.

“It would be nice to have someone of that calibre at the club," Reynolds said about Hunt. “I don’t know the full details, but any club that has got Ben Hunt in it is going to be competitive. He’s a wonderful player. He’s done a lot of great things for the club and a lot of great things for the game. Of his quality, that’s a player you always want in your team. He would be a great addition to the club. Hopefully things work out.”

Reynolds admits there are still "a few pieces of the puzzle" to move around before Brisbane would be able to accomodate Hunt, such as their salary cap situation. The Broncos reportedly only have around $500,000 worth of free space in their cap and may have to move out a player or two if they were to get Hunt in. Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould says his club has $1.6 million of cap space and could blow the Broncos out of the water if it comes down to a financial battle for Hunt.

Adam Reynolds hopes Ezra Mam has learnt a big lesson

Brisbane are also unsure exactly how long Mam will be unavailable for in 2025, with calls for the 21-year-old to make an immediate return to Broncos training after his stint in rehab ended this week. Maguire has already indicated the Broncos would not tear up the five-year, $4 million contract of Mam, who is not expected to return to the squad until the new year.

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But Reynolds says his halves partner has his full support and would learn a lot from the saga, pointing to the fact he is still so young and has taken responsibility for his actions. “He’s a good kid. He got caught up, as teenagers (or young men) can," Reynolds added. "He’s got a great family and a great support system around him. I just hope he learns his lesson... He’s only just touching the surface with how good he is, and how good he’s going to be as a player. Obviously, he’s a big addition to our squad and someone we desperately love."