The Brisbane Broncos and their dynamic playmaker, Ezra Mam, have signed to a new five-year contract.
The Courier Mail initially broke the story, with the Broncos confirming the huge agreement in a club statement on Tuesday morning.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters feels the best is yet to come from the budding playmaker.
“Ezra is a born-and-bred Bronco and it’s great that he is staying where he belongs,” Walters said.
“He is an exciting player but he also likes to get in there and do the tough stuff and to do what needs to be done for his team.
“We have only scratched the surface on what Ez can do – we’ll keep on working with him to improve his game and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together over the years ahead.”
Mam was courted by Wayne Bennett and the Dolphins, who offered a big-money deal to sway the talented five-eighth away from the Broncos.
However, Mam stayed firm, choosing loyalty to remain alongside the likes of Reece Walsh, Adam Reynolds and the relatively recent re-signings of Payne Haas and Pat Carrigan.
Mam was on just $250,000 during his breakout season, but the new deal is set to triple his salary.
The announcement is welcome news for Broncos fans just under a month out from their opening round fixture against the Roosters in Las Vegas.
Mam was one of the best afield during Brisbane’s heartbreaking grand final loss to the Panthers, scoring a hat-trick.
With Mam sorted, the Broncos will now aim to lock down Walsh on a new deal to also keep him at the club long term.
Walsh was simply electric for the Broncos in his return season at the club after spending a couple of years at the Warriors.
Walsh will command north of $1 million a season, with rival clubs set to offer in the range of $1.2-$1.3 million if the fullback hasn’t signed a deal with the Broncos by November 1.
