Ezra Mam’s footy return may not have gone the way he wanted with the Brisbane Broncos star now facing a nervous wait after being placed on report following a high tackle on Western Clydesdales’ prop Lachlan Mears-Crabbe.
The 22-year-old five-eighth, who is yet to play in the NRL this season, turned out for Souths-Logan on Sunday afternoon.
Mam had been serving a nine-game ban handed down by the NRL after he was involved in a head-on traffic collision on October 18 with an Uber taxi in Brisbane.
Mam had pleaded guilty to charges of driving with a relevant drug in his blood and driving unlicensed.
He was subsequently slapped with a fine of $850 and handed a six-month driving ban by a Brisbane court. The NRL and Broncos later handed him a combined fine of $120,000 after some slammed the leniency of the court’s sanction.
Mam is now awaiting a decision from the QRL match review committee after being placed on report for the high shot on Mears-Crabbe, which was also his first tackle of the match.
Footy star Ezra Mam (left) has landed in hot water on his footy return following a nine-match suspension
The 22-year-old was put on report for this high tackle during Sunday’s match between Souths-Logan and Western Clydesdales
It was also Mam’s first tackle of the match, with the footy star making his rugby league return after spending the opening half of the year on the sidelines
The footy star had enjoyed a great start to the match, touching down for a try in the first half.
But in the 34th minute of the match, Mam stepped up in the defensive line and appeared to catch Mears-Crabbe with a high shot.
The referee immediately held his hands up and placed the 22-year-old on report, with the MRO now set to decide whether Mam will miss more footy after finally making his comeback.
During last weekend’s magic round, Mam received a frosty reception from members of the crowd.
He was sitting among several Brisbane players in the stands at the Suncorp Stadium but was booed by fans after vision of him sitting in the crowd appeared on the big screen.
Brisbane, meanwhile, are in the midst of a slump, with the Broncos having suffered defeats to the Rabbitohs and the Panthers in their last two outings.
Their indifferent form has been compounded by the loss of five-eighth Ben Hunt, who suffered a hamstring injury during their defeat by South Sydney on Friday night.
Jock Madden is also due to undergo surgery on a pectoral injury.
Broncos boss Micael Maguire was also in the stands to watch Mam’s comeback and cut an animated figure on the bench
Mam (left) pleaded guilty to two charges of driving with a relavent drug in his system and driving while unlicensed
It came after he was involved in a head-on collision with an Uber driver back in October
Despite a rusty start to the match and the high shot, Mam would go on to enjoy a solid outing, setting up three try assists to help South Logan claim a 66-10 victory.
Maguire had watched the match from behind the goal posts, though he will also be waiting nervously on the MRO’s decision, with bans in the Queensland Cup also counting towards NRL matches.
Mam, meanwhile, is relishing being back on the footy pitch for the first time since his high-profile court case.
‘It definitely feels good to be back on the field,’ he said after the match.
‘It is a great feeling to be back doing what I love, and it was good to see friends and family and some of the boys down here.
‘It is my first game back and I’d be lying if I said I was ready. I’m just grateful to be back playing.’
A former Broncos star, Justin Hodges, believes Mam is the man to rescue the Broncos’ season.
‘He was outstanding. That just shows the type of player that he is. He is too good to be playing here but obviously it is a privilege to have him.
The footy star was last week booed when his face appeared on the big screen during the Broncos’ magic round clash against Penrith
Mam said it ‘felt good’ to be back on the footy pitch and has been touted as the answer to solve the Broncos problems at five-eighth this season
‘He is a first-grade player. I’m pretty sure he will be back up there next week.
‘Once Ezra gets back things should change [for the Broncos].
‘You have a look at the success they had in 2023, everything came off the back of Ezra and Adam Reynolds steering things around.
‘Look at all those little neat and tidy things he did, like popping up with off-loads, kick chases, and scoring tries off kicks. You need that guy … once Ezra gets back, he will give them that confidence
