Ezra Mam’s rise from halftime dancer to Brisbane Broncos playmaker

Whenever he gets the chance, the 20-year-old Broncos playmaker takes off his training jersey and dons the exotic headpieces and garb of a dance company with close links to his late grandparents Steve and Pamela Mam.

For Ezra, ensuring Torres Strait Islander dance is alive and thriving is all about tradition and respect for a rich heritage which has been kept alive by elders through generations.

“We get together at least once every fortnight to practise our dances for upcoming performances,” Mam says.

“I think about the elders who danced before us and how their spirits are with us while we are performing. It means a lot to me for us to be continuing those traditions because my grandparents started our dance company down here in Brisbane.”

Ezra’s grandparents Steve and Pamela helped raise him in the Ipswich suburb of Goodna and were inspirational First Nations community leaders.

Pamela was a trailblazer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. She was one of the first Aboriginal nurses in Queensland and, along with Steve, was a co-founder of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service.

Steve, an ATSIC regional councillor for 15 years, was also a co-founder of the Black Community Housing Service and NAIDOC Male Elder of the Year in 2005.

“When we lost them it was heartbreaking for myself and very tough for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait community because they were much-loved and respected,” Mam says.

“My grandparents pretty much raised me. They were the ones that did everything for me and my brother and sister.

“They started a traditional Torres Strait Islander dance group down here and we performed at many events.

“That dance group has been handed down from generation to generation. I think the dancers we have now are the fifth generation that has come through and are still holding onto the culture.

“Brenko Lee’s dad is the lead drummer and the big dog in the dance group, along with some of the other uncles and aunties.

“Whenever I don’t have Broncos training and they have a performance I still go and dance with them.”

Mam, who was playing Mal Meninga Cup under 18s for Souths-Logan last year, has to pinch himself when he considers his meteoric rise. He played in Indigenous Round in May against the Titans at Suncorp Stadium, just 12 months after he was performing with the Wagga TSI Dance Company at the same venue.

“We danced in the halftime show for Indigenous Round last year against Storm,” Mam reflects.

“Last year I was dancing. This year I was playing. I didn’t really think about it until the Broncos posted it on social media and it made me think, ‘Wow. A lot has happened in one year’. It was a big spin-out.”

The TSI costumes are intricate and the headpieces are kept at the homes of senior dancers.

“My totem is a shark, the same as Hamiso [Tabuai-Fidow] who you see do the shark celebration after he scores,” Mam says.

Mam, who was born in Sydney, grew up in Goodna where he lived with his grandparents and his uncle Mukubi, who he refers to as his dad.

“I call him my dad because he is my father figure,” Mam says.

“When my grandparents passed on my dad and his partner were living in our household and they took me on-board.

“My mum [Tomasina] lives up on Hammond Island in the Torres Strait with her husband. It is just across from Thursday Island.

“She is my mother figure and always the person I go running back to when I need to get out of trouble. She is my ‘mummy’. She is good. Every time I call her she helps me out and fixes everything.

“When I was at school and needed a bit of pocket money for lunch she would transfer it straight away into my account.

“I go up to Hammond Island to see mum once a year and it is a place where you forget about everything down here. I go fishing and it takes my mind away from footy.”

Dollar dazzler

Mam played his juniors with the Goodna Eagles in Ipswich from under-6s to under-13s and still goes back to visit the club where Mukubi gave him plenty of incentive to perform as a youngster.

“The boys around me at Goodna made it fun because I grew up playing footy with them, but my main coach was my dad,” Mam says.

“He would give me $2 for a try and $1 for a tackle when I was a little kid. That paid for Maccas for the ride home.

“The best advice he gave me was ‘don’t be afraid to tackle’ and that has stuck with me. I’m still smaller now in the NRL so I’m glad I’m not afraid.

“He taught me how to tackle in the front yard. We used to have this driveway and he’d put bombs up and I’d try to catch them … all that sort of stuff. As I got older he did my game reviews and would tell me where I could get better.”

Mam still calls Mukubi after a game and will often visit for dinner and some good advice.

“He just says to keep up the good work. The main thing he says is not to get comfortable because there are always players looking to come after your spot.”

One of those is Tyson Gamble, who had a successful stint in the halves before a recent leg injury paved the way for Mam to grab his spot.

“Tyson has been real good for me,” Mam says.

“Sometimes he sees where I go wrong and he comes up to me straight after training or after a drill and pretty much drills it into my head. He has been playing longer than I have so I take whatever he says on board and try and see how I can adapt it to my style of play.”

Deadly debut

All NRL players have a debut story, but it is hard to recall a more concise and emotive explanation of the lead-up to that life-changing day than the one Mam has provided about his own entry to the big time, away against Newcastle in round 11 in a 36-12 win.

Mam had flown down to Newcastle and was on standby in case Adam Reynolds did not pass a fitness test on game day.

He was having lunch and could hear the team hierarchy talking about the possibility of Reynolds not playing.

“I started getting goosebumps. My ears were ringing,” Mam recalls.

“I thought to myself, ‘This can’t be true. If he pulls out, I am in’. Kevvie Walters then pulls me over and says, ‘We are going to see how Reyno is after he goes for a run’. I was in doubt as well because I had a massive cork on my quad at the time.”

Walters had a follow-up question that hit Mam right between the eyes.

“Are you ready?” quizzed the coach.

“I forgot about the cork straight away and I told Kevvie, ‘I’m ready. Just put me there and I will do the job’,” Mam says.

“That’s when Kevvie told me I’d have to do a fitness test as well.”

The duo went to what Mam calls “a random field near our hotel” to go through their paces.

Mam was watching Reynolds and noticed he was “a bit sorer with all his movements and getting slower and slower”, as he went through his own paces and tested out a quad that was improving by the second.

“We were doing some run-throughs and then Reyno came up to me, shook my hand and said, ‘Congrats mate. You are going to make your debut tonight’. I froze.”

The pair walked back to the car with the Broncos trainer.

“That’s when I had my own little moment on the field and thought about all the sacrifices I have made and my family has made,” Mam says.

“It was time to think about putting the jersey on.”

Mam had a meal of fish before his training run but was shaking by the time he got back to the team hotel.

“Even in the car on the way back I was trying to get my boots off, but my hands were shaking too much and I couldn’t get the knot out of my laces,” he says.

“I ended up walking into the hotel with my boots on. Then I got up to my room and vomited up all the food I had for lunch, and dinner from the night before.

“I went and got another feed to fill myself up before the game.”

Raising the bar

Mam has been on the Broncos’ radar for a long time and is a tribute to the club’s nurturing through the Elite Player Development (EPD) squad.

“Ezra was in our development squad as a 13-year-old and came to our camps before we signed him as a 15-year-old,” Broncos recruitment chief Simon Scanlan says.

“He was a player of the carnival at state level as a 15-year-old and has always been extremely talented, so it isn’t a shock what he is doing. The harder the level, the more he steps up.

“When he played Mal Meninga (under-18s) for Souths Logan last year he wasn’t a standout but when he went up into the Queensland Cup side he was outstanding and the competition’s Rookie of the Year. He is a kid who rises to any challenge.

“Ezra still goes back to Goodna and does coaching clinics with them on the quiet. He is a genuinely nice kid with gratitude and a good attitude.”

Mam is one of those young players who doesn’t have a big head. He knows when he is underachieving

“I thought I was pretty shocking in Mal Meninga 18s last year. I wasn’t preparing properly,” he says.

“Then I spoke to some of the leaders at the club and to Simon Scanlan and they gave me tips. Then I played a few games of 20s and I raised the bar, because it was a step up.

“Milf [Anthony Milford] got the call-up to play for the Broncs and I was told I was going to make my Queensland Cup debut the next day for Souths Logan. I couldn’t sleep all night … but it all went from there.

“I think I am one of those players that rises when I face challenges.

“It was just great to re-sign with the club [until the end of 2024] I have been at since I was 13.

“Reyno [Adam Reynolds] has been a mad help for myself. I watch the style of footy he plays and take note. He has some great advice as well.”