Good news: Ezra Mam has been called back to the team with full commitment as he oat to …. 

Good news: Ezra Mam has been called back to the team with full commitment as he oat to ….

Brisbane coach Michael Maguire says Adam Reynolds is “definitely” on track to start the NRL season as he recovers from a neck operation but admits he is yet to make a call on who will captain the Broncos in 2025. And Ezra Mam will have to wait until May to play any form of competitive footy after the NRL reportedly closed the door on a loophole for the suspended 21-year-old to return to action sooner.

 

Reynolds had surgery after Christmas on a nerve issue in his neck that had been causing problems for the veteran halfback and flared up early in Brisbane’s pre-season training. However, the surgery has been a success and the 34-year-old returned to Red Hill this week where he has been training separately from the main Broncos group and won’t be cleared for full contact work until late January or February.

Brisbane kick off their NRL season against the Roosters on March 6 which gives Reynolds around five weeks of full training to get himself right for the season opener. And there are reports the veteran will make a rare appearance in the NRL Pre-season Challenge game against the Bulldogs. That would give Reynolds the chance to work on his halves combination with recruit Ben Hunt, who is expected to play five-eighth while Mam serves his nine-game ban over the recent drug-driving saga.

The Broncos’ pre-season games see them come up against the Titans on February 16, followed by the Bulldogs on February 22. And Brisbane’s new coach is pleased with how the veteran has looked after returning from surgery, with Maguire confident Reynolds will be ready to go for the start of the new season and maybe even earlier.

“He ran (on Monday), not full-on, he’ll spend a month in rehab and then be back into training. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s back a little earlier,” Maguire told News Corp. “He’s definitely (all good for the start of the season). It’s amazing what they can do now. They go in and tidy it up. He has had it for a while and he felt if we did something about it (it would help). He spoke to plenty of doctors and the surgeon said they could do it and fix up all his issues.”

Maguire admitted he hasn’t made a decision on the Broncos’ captaincy for 2025 though, with suggestions the coach could start fresh by promoting representative forwards Patrick Carrigan or Payne Haas in favour of Reynolds. “I’ll make that at the back end of the month,” the Brisbane coach said about the captaincy call. “I’ll decide that when the time is right. Reyno is our captain at the moment and is leading well.”

Ezra Mam blocked from playing for Broncos feeder club

Meanwhile, Mam returned to pre-season training with the Broncos this week but will have to wait four months to play his first competitive match of the year after the NRL reportedly closed a loophole for the suspended 21-year-old to return earlier. The NRL slapped Mam with a nine-game ban and he was fined $120,000 after being sentenced over a car crash in October while unlicensed and with a drug in his systematic

.But because the suspension was not judiciary-related, there were hopes Mam would be able to play in Queensland’s Hostplus Cup for one of Broncos’ feeder clubs. The NRL has reportedly shut down that possibility though, meaning Mam can only train with the Broncos but will not be able to play a competitive match until his NRL return date of May 9, when Brisbane face South Sydney in round 10.

 

Maguire is clearly keen to keep him around the squad during his suspension though as he’ll be integral to the club’s chances when he returns. Mam looked fit as he hit the training paddock on Tuesday and started the session in a fitness drill alongside Broncos recruit 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.

Ben Hunt’s return to Brisbane in a period of change and turbulence has proven to be perfect timing for a club seeking professionalism on and off the field.

 

The 34-year-old playmaker, who clocked up 187 games for the Broncos before joining St George Illawarra, is taking charge at training and will be a vital component in the months ahead, with Ezra Mam suspended and captain Adam Reynolds on light duties for the rest of January after neck surgery.

 

By the time the trials kick off next month Hunt will have a suite of moves down pat and the players will know exactly what he expects.