New Brisbane coach Michael Maguire has marked his first official day at the club by fending off questions about Ezra Mam‘s future while refusing to make a call on the troubled five-eighth’s possible sacking. Maguire sat on the fence when asked the club’s next move on Mam, who is currently in a rehabilitation facility as he deals with the fallout from his head-on car accident in Brisbane last week.
Queensland Police are yet to press charges but will allege Mam was unlicensed and failed a roadside drug test after allegedly ploughing into an Uber, injuring the driver and two passengers in the back seat. Police are awaiting the results of a second test before deciding their next move.
The incident has placed Mam’s $4m contract with the Broncos in jeopardy, with a heavy fine and suspension likely once investigations are completed. Maguire, in his first press conference as Brisbane coach, confirmed he has spoken to Mam over the phone, saying: “It’s never nice, obviously, when you have to go through things like this.
“There’s a lot of positives around the place, but we also need to deal with the things in front of us. I’m very big on the one-on-one with the players and getting an understanding of who they are and how they tick. I’ll start to build my own mind up about what I believe we need to do moving forward but it’s well documented there’s things that need to be adjusted and fixed.”
Michael Maguire fails to rule out potentially axing Ezra Mam
Asked if he wanted Mam sacked, Maguire responded: “I’m not even going to touch on that at the moment.” “I’ve got to go through everything. I’ve got to look at where and how we got to that point and assess what’s going on and then understand him as well, but also understand the position of where the organisation sits as well. I’ll definitely find out how one of our players gets to that point.”
Maguire expressed empathy for the other parties involved in the car accident, emphasising the need to support them as well as Mam. He also fielded questions about the club’s culture on the back of a string of off-field incidents.
“It’s obviously very well documented that things have been going on and I’ll address them as well,” he said. “There’s certain things that you need to do as a professional player to get yourself to the top. We’ve all got to own where we are right now and adjust to where we need to get to.”
