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He is not quite the little human Picasso that is Adam Reynolds, but Ezra Mam sure has some impressive ink all over his body.<\/p>\n
And it tells you a lot about the diminutive No.6, who rose from relative obscurity in 2023 to take out the Dally M five-eighth of the year award.<\/p>\n
If Reece Walsh is Brisbane\u2019s favourite player, Mam, 20, is a close second. The playmaker has been excellent this year, especially in defence, and will be no pushover for Nathan Cleary and Liam Martin on Penrith\u2019s right edge in Sunday\u2019s grand final.<\/p>\n
Mam\u2019s story is written on his body.<\/p>\n
The two biggest tattoos that stand out are the murals of his late grandmother and grandfather, Pamela and Steve. Both passed away before Mam had made his NRL debut, but he knows they will be watching his biggest moment.<\/p>\n
The names of his parents, Tomasina and Mukubi, sit above his grandparents.<\/p>\n
Tomasina lives on Hammond (Keriri) Island, a dinghy ride from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait to Australia\u2019s north. She caught a ferry to Horn Island, then flights to Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney to be at Accor Stadium on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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Tatts impressive: Ezra Mam and his impressive collection of tattoos.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Tertius Pickard<\/cite><\/p>\n Mukubi\u2019s traditional Torres Strait Islander headdress covers Mam\u2019s left thigh. He wears it when performing for an Indigenous dance group started by his grandparents. He once performed at half-time during an Indigenous Round game between the Storm and Broncos.<\/p>\n Only a few weeks ago, Mam performed at the Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower. A few Broncos fans in the crowd were impressed.<\/p>\n There is another tattoo of the Torres Strait Islander pigeon with a biblical passage, which reads: \u201cFor with God nothing shall be impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n Mam hopes that is the case on Sunday.<\/p>\n Eye of the tiger: Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Tertius Pickard<\/cite><\/p>\n His puppy, a border collie named Roscoe, after one of his favourite American artists, Roscoe Dash, is on his left arm, while his favourite, a set of tiger eyes, sits on his right forearm.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my favourite one,\u201d Mam says. \u201cI love tigers. They\u2019re an instinctive animal. And I like to consider myself an instinctive player.\u201d<\/p>\n There is still a fair bit of skin left for a Broncos premiership tattoo. The only bloke with more artwork is Reynolds. The captain has often had tattoos removed to accommodate new ideas.<\/p>\n Ezra Mam at Wednesday\u2019s Dally M awards where he was crowned five-eighth of the year<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Mam is a breath of fresh air. Because Reynolds calls the shots, he is free to chime in whenever he feels like it in attack.<\/p>\n Reynolds was the one who informed him he was making his debut against Newcastle last year.<\/p>\n The pair went for a fitness run on the morning of the game against the Knights, only for Reynolds to quickly pull out and inform Mam he was about to start.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I even had boots, they had ripped and I had to borrow a pair \u2013 I may have asked Tesi Niu for his boots,\u201d Mam said.<\/p>\n \u201cI never expected to play. I only went down for the ride, and was expected to come back and play in [the Queensland] Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Reyno got ruled out, he came over, shook my hand and said, \u2018congrats\u2019. I didn\u2019t believe him. That\u2019s pretty much all I remember.<\/p>\n \u201cI called my dad, and he left Brisbane straight away. He was working as a driver for the Indigenous Health Clinic in Logan. Dad and his partner walked into the ground right on kick-off and still had their bags.<\/p>\n \u201cTyson Frizell ran at me all night. The following week it was David Fifita. A couple of weeks after that it was Felise Kaufusi. I nearly died.<\/p>\n \u201cI quickly realised the NRL was much tougher than I thought it would be.\u201d<\/p>\n Fan favourite: Ezra Mam at Monday\u2019s fan day.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Tertius Pickard\/SMH<\/cite><\/p>\n Mam went away over the summer to work on his defence and physicality. He was 79kg, but now weighs 87kg.<\/p>\n \u201cI made defence my focus, put some weight on, and had Tommy Flegler and Corey Jensen running at me and roughing me up a bit,\u201d he says. \u201cThere was no way I wanted Payne [Haas] running at me.\u201d<\/p>\n Reynolds commended Mam for the endless hours he spent working on his defence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe all know what an attacking threat he is, but this year his defence has gone to another level \u2013 he\u2019s not afraid to put his body in front of big blokes and give them a nice whack,\u201d Reynolds says.<\/p>\n To prove what an outstanding campaign Mam has had, he was crowned Dally M five-eighth of the year on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n The tip is he will soon sign a three-year extension to remain at Red Hill.<\/p>\n Mam always wanted to play for the Broncos. Karmichael Hunt inspired him to try to make his debut at a young age. He also loved Matty Bowen.<\/p>\n \u201cTwo other favourites were Craig Fitzgibbon and Brett Hodgson, but mainly because I had their tazos [collectable disk] growing up,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Brad Fittler pointed out during a post-match TV interview at the start of the season that Mam was born in Sydney, which raised the issue of him being a candidate for the NSW Blues.<\/p>\n \u201cI was born at RPA,\u201d Mam says. \u201cBut I only lasted six months down there \u2013 Mum must have known I couldn\u2019t cop the place.\u201d<\/p>\n Mam stands out from the league crowd for more than just his playing ability. He plays the flute. He attended a rugby school, Ambrose Treacy College in Brisbane. He is smart and very proud of his Indigenous heritage. He is one of a handful of players, including Haas and Walsh, who paint their toenails each week. Right now, Mam is rocking a hot pink colour, a nod to the colour of Walsh\u2019s flashy boots.<\/p>\n They\u2019re a tight group in Brisbane, and it\u2019s reaping rewards.<\/p>\n \u201cThe players around me are the getting the best out of me,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve grown in confidence every week, especially playing around Reyno and Walshy. I can roam and pop up where Walshy isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cWalshy is the most popular. Pretty Riki [Jordan Riki] is also popular, as is \u2018Jesus\u2019, who is better known as Pat Carrigan. I love these boys. A win on Sunday would mean everything.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd, yes, I\u2019m sure, I\u2019ll find a space for another tatt.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch the NRL grand final exclusive, live and free on Channel 9 and <\/i><\/b>9Now<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Sports news, results and expert commentary. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for our Sport newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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