Brisbane Broncos head coach Michael Maguire has refused to guarantee the return of Ezra Mam next weekend following an injury to Ben Hunt during Friday night's shock loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
A frustrated Maguire, who watched his team implode after taking an early lead against the injury-ravaged South Sydney, said they would need to review the game against the Rabbitohs, as well as the five-eighth's return in the QLD Cup, before determining whether he makes his immediate move back to the NRL.
"I'll go through this game before we get to that," Maguire said during his post-match press conference.
"I'll go through the game and decide which way we go."
It was a view captain Adam Reynolds shared when quizzed, confirming reviews needed to take place.
A new halves combination has worked well between Reynolds and the experienced Hunt this year after the Queenslander was granted a release from the remainder of his playing contract by the St George Illawarra Dragons during the off-season.
There has been no return timeline placed on Hunt yet, with Reynolds confirming he wanted Hut back on the field as soon as possible.
"I don't know the extent of the injury yet," Reynolds said.
"We want our best players out there, and Ben's one of those. Hopefully it's not too bad."
What role Hunt will play moving forward remains to be seen.
It was widely speculated he would be used as a dummy half once Mam returns from suspension, while serving as a backup option in the halves, but the form of Cory Paix and Billy Walters in tandem at 9 and 14, could mean Mam is the player pushed out of the best 17.
That said, the Broncos need a spark of energy after an enormously disappointing last forrtnight, which has now seen a heavy loss to the Penrith Panthers at home during Magic Round, and last night's fade out at the hands of South Sydney.
Mam, who almost single-handedly had the Broncos on the cusp of a grand final win in 2023, provides exactly that and has been strong in partnership with Reynolds in recent seasons.
