Michael Maguire has dropped Ezra Mam to the bench for the Brisbane Broncos’ round 14 clash with the Titans, handing Tom Duffy the start at five-eighth.
The change came as Brisbane tried to halt a run of four straight losses, with the team lists showing Mam no longer in the starting side for the weekend game. Duffy’s promotion is the clearest sign yet that Maguire wants a different look in the halves after a difficult stretch for the club.
Mam’s omission is likely to draw attention beyond Red Hill because he was named in Billy Slater’s Maroons squad for the State of Origin series opener last week before Brisbane moved him out of the run-on side for poor form. That made the benching more than a routine reshuffle. It linked a State of Origin call-up to a club response that cuts straight to his place in the Broncos’ best team.
Brisbane are also missing Patrick Carrigan and Gehamat Shibasaki after injuries suffered against the Dragons, adding more strain to a side already under pressure. Carrigan’s absence matters in the middle, while Shibasaki’s injury strips another option from the back line, leaving Maguire with fewer ways to steady a team that has been slipping for a month.
The selection call leaves one bigger question hanging over the Broncos: whether this is a one-week reset or the start of a longer rethink around their spine. For now, the answer is simple. Mam is on the bench, Duffy is in, and Brisbane head into round 14 needing the change to work immediately.
