Ezra Mam is the last of three key off-contract five-eighths yet to sign a contract for 2025, but Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters is confident the deal will be done.
Mam was expected to be the first of the trio which also includes Jarome Luai and Thomas Dearden to confirm his future.
However, Luai has now signed with the Wests Tigers on a rich long-term deal, while Dearden elected against interest from the St George Illawarra Dragons among other clubs to re-sign with the Cowboys.
Every report and comment made has been that Mam will stay with the Broncos despite widespread interest, with belief at one point that as many as half a dozen clubs could be chasing the young gun who had a wonderful 2023 for the Broncos, capped with a hat-trick in the grand final that had Brisbane on the verge of lifting the Provan-Summons trophy for the first time since 2006.
But the longer the wait for Mam to sign, the more speculation has grown that he has, at the very least, tested the open market.
It has been heavily reported that the Broncos have offered a $3 million, four-year deal to Mam, and coach Walters told the media on Monday that he is confident the star five-eighth will put pen to paper.
“I believe it's getting very close but it's up to the powers that be to get together. I'm sure it'll happen, it's just a matter of when,” the coach said on his five-eighth.
“I'm very confident he'll stay. He loves the place and we love him here. We're also working hard to get the right deal for Ezra where he's comfortable, which I'm sure we can do.”
The deal, should he sign it, will make Mam among the most well-paid players in the game despite only having a single full season to his name, plus a number of games in 2022.
