Greg Alexander's big call on Michael Maguire as Broncos rocked by $4 million Ezra Mam fallout
Mam's $4 million contract at the Broncos has been called into question.
League great Greg Alexander says he thinks Michael Maguire will be "fighting to keep Ezra Mam" at the Broncos after the Brisbane five-eighth was involved in a car crash that has left his NRL future up in the air. Queensland Police have alleged that Mam was driving unlicensed before he was involved in a head-on collision on Friday night, that left the Broncos star in hospital.
The 21-year-old had scans on his head after suffering a bump in the collision with an Uber driver in the Brisbane suburb of Bardon. Mam allegedly failed an initial roadside drug test and was detained by police and taken to hospital for further tests, but fortunately neither he nor the occupants of the other car suffered serious injuries.
Mam underwent initial roadside drug and alcohol tests, to which he allegedly returned a positive result for drugs. He was then ordered to undertake a second drug test using blood samples, with police indicating that it could take a number of weeks to learn the results. The Broncos informed the NRL Integrity Unit but were not commenting further on the matter and Mam has not yet been charged.
It follows another off-season incident involving Mam in Bali, with the Broncos playmaker and fullback Reece Walsh investigated by the NRL over damage to another person's mobile phone. Mam reportedly took exception to the person's behaviour as they attempted to get a selfie with Walsh, with the phone damaged as a result. However, the players later replaced the phone and paid for it themselves.
Michael Maguire facing first major test as Broncos coach
Mam's latest incident has ramped up pressure on Maguire to stamp his authority at the Broncos, with veteran commentator Andrew Voss questioning how the new Broncos coach will handle the situation. "You are looking to establish culture and put a line in the sand. You now have to make a decision on one of the biggest names in the club. If you are Michael Maguire, what are you doing?" Voss pondered on SEN's Breakfast with Vossy & Brandy on Monday morning.
There have been suggestions that Mam's $4 million contract could be torn up if he is found guilty of the allegations against him. And Voss admitted that in spite of Mam's character and undoubted footy ability, questions have to be asked about whether he has the right attitude to justify his hefty price tag.
"He's always been an effervescent character.... He's a real livewire, he's a happy bloke," Voss said. "Turns up happy to training every day, he'd be good to have around camp but in that if you don't know him well you'd have to question whether he has the burning desire to be the professional athlete. And now these other things, it seems to me a lot of money for a young bloke who's living rockstar lifestyle rather than rugby league player."
Greg Alexander explains 'difficult' situation for Michael Maguire
Alexander says the latest drama will be especially "difficult" for Maguire because he doesn't know Mam well but thinks the new Broncos coach will be trying to convince the Brisbane board to give him another chance. The league great admitted that the rockstar criticism of Broncos players was nothing new and that it required some strong leaders to keep players in check.
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"And that's something that has been spoken about at the Broncos for years, you can go back 20 years. The Broncos, big club... until Redcliffe came in last year that was it, that's all they had," Alexander said on SEN. "The NRL club, the Broncos, it's the biggest thing in town and if the team's playing well they are rockstars.
"And it takes some pretty good senior players to make sure that all stays in control. Darren Lockyer on the board at the Broncos, their CEO (Dave Donaghy), they're the ones that are going to be dealing with what happens to Ezra Mam. I think Michael Maguire because he's only just arrived and wouldn't know him that well, I'm thinking Michael Maguire will be fighting to keep Ezra Mam there."
with AAP
