Ezra Mam's $100,000 move comes to light amid massive call on Broncos player's punishment
Mam remains in rehab with his immediate future hanging in the balance.
Ezra Mam's stint in rehab is set to cost the Brisbane Broncos star around $100,000 but the fallout from his car crash saga could exceed $500,000 according to reports. Mam is set to leave rehab next week and join back up with coach Michael Maguire and the Broncos players for pre-season training, while he awaits the results of a secondary drug test after being involved in a traffic collision last month while allegedly unlicensed.
The five-eighth allegedly failed an initial roadside drug test after a four-year-old girl suffered a broken hip in the crash in Brisbane last month. Queensland Police have not concluded their investigation and are yet to lay charges but according to reports, the NRL and Broncos are leaning towards giving Mam a second chance and not terminating his five-year, $4 million contract, if he is found guilty.
But according to The Courier Mail, Mam's stint in rehab will set the 21-year-old back $100,000 and he may have to pay for the damages to both vehicles because he was allegedly driving without a license. Mam is also expected to be looking at a hefty fine from both the NRL integrity unit and the Broncos that could stretch into the hundreds-of-thousands of dollars.
Mam has remained in regular contact with Maguire while in rehab but the Broncos coach is unsure what sanctions his star No.6 will face from the NRL if he is found guilty. It's widely expected that Maguire could be without his five-eighth for at least the first two to three months of the new season, opening the door for a potential move for Maroons and Kangaroos star Ben Hunt, who has parted ways with the Dragons.
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“I couldn’t tell you the time, I wouldn’t have a clue,” Maguire said when asked how long Mam could be sidelined for. “That’s a work in progress. Ezra is working on himself at the moment and that is an important part, he has acknowledged where he is at so he is owning it himself. It (an NRL punishment) is out of my control.”
Maguire says it's important that Mam has owned his mistakes and suggested he and the club are willing to give him another chance. “I have heard from him and stayed in contact. He is working on himself,” he added. “I met Ezra about four years ago and he is a good man, a young man. “He is going through a bit at the moment and he needs to sort himself out and work his way through it. I’ve said if you own it, then you can deal with it moving forward so it’s something I know he is doing.”
Ezra Mam saga could see Broncos move to sign Ben Hunt
Mam could face the NRL's no-fault stand-down policy if the matter goes to court and drags on, meaning Brisbane could potentially apply for salary cap dispensation for a like-for-like player. Considering Mam is on around $800,000 per season, it could open the door for Hunt to join, with the NRL unlikely to let the former Dragons captain join another club on a cut-price deal, having previously been on $950,000 per season contract.
Hunt has made no secret of his desire to move back to play in his home state of Queensland and the Dolphins have emerged as another massive possibility, armed with a reported $1.3 million war chest. Incoming Dolphins coach Kristian Woolf said this week that while he was happy with his squad, he'd be "definitely keen" to chat to Hunt if the halfback was interested in a move there.
However, Hunt has already made his feelings clear about wanting to return to the Broncos to try and win a premiership and Brisbane stars Haas and Carrigan - plus coach Michael Maguire - admit he'd be welcomed back with open arms. "Ben is a world-class player and has plenty of experience," Maguire said during his first week of pre-season training with Brisbane.
"We all know what he is capable of and what he would bring to the place. We will let him go through the Australian space this week, and after that he will probably sit down and work out what he wants to do. They are things that are a work in progress. One thing I won't do is talk too much about contracts, but someone of Ben's calibre coming to the team would definitely be great."
