As much as Michael Maguire continues to insist Brisbane\u2019s season is still alive<\/a>, last year\u2019s premiers are closer to the wooden spoon than contending for a title. <\/p>\n Taking byes into account, the Broncos will enter Round 20 sitting in third-last eight points behind the Sea Eagles and Cowboys who are on the edge of the top eight. <\/p>\n In other words, with a particularly difficult run home, it will take a miracle for the Broncos to make the finals and instead their focus should already be on the future.<\/p>\n That starts at the selection table, with Maguire urged to recall five-eighth Ezra Mam to the starting side after a week weeks on the bench.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve got to pick him,\u201d veteran reporter Brent Read said on \u2018NRL 360\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was ridiculous he wasn\u2019t playing before… they\u2019ve got to pick him because he\u2019s the long-term six of that football club. Your season is basically over. You\u2019ve got to play him, get him back in forth and find some confidence in him.\u201d<\/p>\n That is particularly important considering Mam is contracted to the Broncos until the end of the 2029 season and on a contract reportedly worth more than $4 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Madge defiant despite Sharks defeat | 04:53<\/p>\n So while the Broncos have plenty of options to turn to in the recently re-signed Tom Duffy and Jonah Pezet, they are more than incentivised to find a way to get Mam performing again.<\/p>\n To that point, Broncos legend Gorden Tallis said playing Mam off the bench is only making it harder for him to find the rhythm he needs to be at his absolute best.<\/p>\n \u201cHe comes on and he tries too hard,\u201d Tallis said. <\/p>\n \u201cThat game against the Dragons when he got blamed for going to dummy half, the two halves were 15 or 20 meters away from him. I think it\u2019s the confidence. <\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s a confidence player, and I think that he\u2019s lost a bit of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Although NRL 360 co-host Braith Anasta said even when Mam has been struggling for confidence in recent years, it hasn\u2019t taken him long to produce \u201cspecial\u201d plays.<\/p>\n That has not been the case this year, even when Mam was starting.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve rarely seen him come up with anything above average this year, which is a real shock,\u201d Anasta added.<\/p>\n It prompted him to ask whether Mam is happy at the Broncos, which triggered a more widespread conversation around Maguire\u2019s future at the club this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he is happy at the moment,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s among a group of players that are unhappy with a lot of stuff at that footy club at the moment. Obviously not playing is part of it for him. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve spoken about not so much the personal relationship with Michael Maguire, but the relationship in terms of the intensity within that club at the moment, the pressure that\u2019s on everyone. <\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s enjoying that.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n TEAM TIPS: Tigers, Bunnies shake ups; luckless Bulldogs star\u2019s uncertain recovery<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n