Broncos’ focus turns to Walsh after Mam deal
The Broncos will ramp up plans to make Reece Walsh the NRL’s next $1m player after securing fellow rising star Ezra Mam to a mega deal.
The battle for Mam’s signature is officially over, with Brisbane’s grandfinal hat-trick hero rejecting interest from several NRL rivals, including Wayne Bennett’s Dolphins, to ink a fiveyear extension on Tuesday.
It is understood Mam has received an upgrade on his current deal for the 2024 season, plus a five-year extension that will keep the five-eighth whiz-kid at the Broncos until the end of 2029.
Mam was off-contract at season’s end, but the Broncos have moved swiftly to take the Queensland Emerging Origin squad member off the market.
The Dolphins tabled a lucrative offer for Mam, who emerged as one of the rising stars of the NRL last year with a sizzling second season that saw him score 18 tries from 25 games, headlined by his grand-final masterclass.
But the Broncos were always confident they would get their man and the Indigenous playmaker has confirmed his loyalty, signing the richest deal of his career.
“Ezra is a born-and-bred Bronco and it’s great that he is staying where he belongs,” Broncos coach Kevin Walters said. “He is an exciting player but he also likes to get in there and do the tough stuff and to do what needs to be done for his team. We have only scratched the surface on what ‘Ez’ can do.
“We’ll keep on working with him to improve his game and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together over the years ahead.”
The five-year package is worth in excess of $4m, just reward for Mam’s breakout 2023 season which has put him firmly in Queensland State of Origin contention.
Just turned 21, Mam was on about $250,000 last season and this upgraded deal will see his salary triple to become one of Brisbane’s highest-paid players.
With Mam secure at Red Hill, the Broncos will turn their attention to extending his attacking partner-in-crime Walsh, whose backfield brilliance played a key role in Brisbane’s charge to the 2023 decider.
The Queensland Origin fullback is contracted until the end of 2025, but the Broncos are in talks to also hand Walsh a long-term upgrade.
Aiding contract negotiations, Mam and Walsh share the same manager in Nash Dawson, who has been in talks with Broncos hierarchy, including chief executive Dave Donaghy and recruitment chief Simon Scanlan, for several months.
Walsh returned to the Broncos from the Warriors last year on a deal worth around $400,000 but, like Mam, the Maroons maestro is set for a huge pay rise after piloting Brisbane to the grand final.
The 21-year-old is on track to become the third $1m player in Brisbane’s 36year history, joining former pivot Anthony Milford and superstar prop Payne Haas, who inked a lucrative threeyear extension last year.