Michael Maguire responds to ugly claims after Ezra Mam's secret new move comes to light

Michael Maguire has slapped down claims that the Broncos ordering Ezra Mam to work on a building site is solely a publicity stunt, saying he felt the five-eighth needed a "reality check". Breaking his silence on Mam’s stint as a labourer, Maguire rubbished suggestions it was all for publicity to have the 21-year-old become ‘Ezra the Chippie’ over the past week after checking out of rehab following his head-on car crash with an Uber driver last month.

The NRL is expected to impose a ban once Mam has his day in court next month, which will almost certainly mean the Broncos will be without their star for the start of the 2025 season. Maguire has spoken on numerous occasions about trying to help get Mam back on track as a person - not just as a footballer - and the Broncos coach said on Wednesday that he felt the best way to do that was to get him on a building site to see what life is like as an average joe.

The 21-year-old has been charged with drug driving and driving unlicensed and will learn of his fate after attending court on December 16. But in the meantime, Mam will continue to spend his time on the tools, a move encouraged by Broncos bosses and Maguire, who want the star player to appreciate how fortunate he is to have a five-year, $4 million NRL contract.

"It’s a reality check and something we thought was important for Ezra to do," Maguire told The Courier-Mail. "It’s not something I’m going to talk about at length, but yes, he’s on the tools out there in the real world, taking time away from the football bubble.

"It’s about reflecting and realising what a privilege playing at this level is. From the conversations I’ve had with him, it’s been really good for him."

The decision has the backing of Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy and chairman Karl Morris, the latter of whom was behind the decision to have Tevita Pangai Jr work at a garden nursery following his Covid breaches at Brisbane in 2020. Pangai Jr said his summer of work was something he will always remember and Brisbane hope Mam's tradie slog will be a wake-up call.

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Could Ben Hunt keep Ezra Mam out of a spot?

The NRL and Broncos are expected to hand down a punishment to Mam before Christmas, pending the outcome of his court appearance. But the Queensland representative regardless of the outcome won't return to Broncos training until at least January and then he could be sidelined from NRL action until around May next year.

However, former Broncos skipper Corey Parker says when Mam does return he may find it hard to break back into the team, especially if Ben Hunt is firing alongside Adam Reynolds in the halves. “So many things can happen in this game,” he said.

“I’m not up to speed on the whole Ezra situation and what he is doing, but it could be some time before Ezra is cleared to come back. Anything can happen with injuries and there’s no guarantee Ezra comes back into the team if Hunt is playing well.”