Broncos in race against time to lock up star half as negotiations resume

The Broncos are desperate to lock up a young star.

The Brisbane Broncos have resumed a race against time to lock up the signing of Ezra Mam.

Despite the fact the club are facing a tight and tricky salary cap situation after making multiple recent re-signings, including those of Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan on long-term deals, Mam is now seen as the priority for the Broncos.

That places him ahead of even veteran halfback Adam Reynolds who is also off-contract at the end of 2024 but has publicly expressed a desire to play on and is believed to be in negotiations.

It also puts him on the priority list ahead of Reece Walsh. The star is off-contract at the end of the 2025 campaign and will be in for a bumper pay rise regardless of whether he stays with the Broncos or not on the back of a 2023 season where he became the Queensland State of Origin fullback and rose to prominence as one of the best custodians in the game.

Mam himself will be in for a big pay increase. The talented youngster quickly cemented his spot at five-eighth for the Broncos and is viewed by club authorities as a part of their long-term future.

Those contract talks first opened months ago with Mam and his management, but were put on hold over the finals.

Now News Corp are reporting they have commenced once again, with the club desperate to hang onto the five-eighth.

It’s unclear what value the Broncos will be able to afford for Mam, but it’s believed he could receive well in excess of six or seven hundred thousand dollars per year on the open market, if not more.

That leaves Brisbane desperate to put the finishing touches on a deal before November 1, the date Mam can freely negotiate with other clubs for 2025.

On Mam’s part, he has expressed his desire on multiple occasions to remain with the Broncos and confirmed again to the publication recently that his aim is to stay at the Broncos and “start a new generation”.

The harrowing sinus infection that spread to Dom Young’s brain after severe headaches hospitalised England winger

ENGLAND winger Dom Young’s hospitalisation came after a harrowing sinus infection spread to his brain, with the winger having to be rushed to hospital following severe headaches.

Though out for the rest of England’s Test Series against Tonga, Young will be back for Sydney Roosters’ opening game against Brisbane Broncos in Las Vegas.

At one point last week, one of Young’s eyes had closed and his infection had to be drained with the winger unable to face bright lights.

His agent, Michael Cincotto, spoke to the Daily Telegraph about the dreadful symptoms Young experienced.

“It’s a sinus infection so it’s brain related,” Cincotto told the Daily Telegraph.

“It could have been bad or can be bad but his recovery, and the signs he is showing every day, it’s obvious the antibiotics are working.

“It was pretty frightening.

“It’s come out of the blue and was something that definitely needed to be sorted. It pushed his condition over the edge. He wasn’t good.

“Dom had severe headaches.

“The flight exacerbated the infection, pushed it out and created this issue. Essentially it’s a sinus infection. It just went bang after the flight.

“He was admitted to hospital to get it checked out. He is doing well and there are really good signs. I had a really good chat with him yesterday and he said his recovery has been great, from where he was.

“Dom will be ready to go for the (NRL) season, without any doubt. There won’t be issues with that. He is walking around (in hospital) and there isn’t any real cause for concern.

“My gut feel is that he probably won’t play for England at all in these next couple of games.”