He is not quite the little human Picasso that is Adam Reynolds, but Ezra Mam sure has some impressive ink all over his body.
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.
If Reece Walsh is Brisbane’s 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’s right edge in Sunday’s grand final.
Mam’s story is written on his body.
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.
The names of his parents, Tomasina and Mukubi, sit above his grandparents.
Tomasina lives on Hammond (Keriri) Island, a dinghy ride from Thursday Island in the Torres Strait to Australia’s north. She caught a ferry to Horn Island, then flights to Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney to be at Accor Stadium on Sunday.
Tatts impressive: Ezra Mam and his impressive collection of tattoos.Credit: Tertius Pickard
Mukubi’s traditional Torres Strait Islander headdress covers Mam’s 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.
Only a few weeks ago, Mam performed at the Brisbane City Hall Clock Tower. A few Broncos fans in the crowd were impressed.
There is another tattoo of the Torres Strait Islander pigeon with a biblical passage, which reads: “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Mam hopes that is the case on Sunday.
Eye of the tiger: Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam.Credit: Tertius Pickard
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.
“That’s my favourite one,” Mam says. “I love tigers. They’re an instinctive animal. And I like to consider myself an instinctive player.”
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.
Ezra Mam at Wednesday’s Dally M awards where he was crowned five-eighth of the yearCredit: Getty
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.
Reynolds was the one who informed him he was making his debut against Newcastle last year.
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.
“I don’t think I even had boots, they had ripped and I had to borrow a pair – I may have asked Tesi Niu for his boots,” Mam said.
“I never expected to play. I only went down for the ride, and was expected to come back and play in [the Queensland] Cup.
“When Reyno got ruled out, he came over, shook my hand and said, ‘congrats’. I didn’t believe him. That’s pretty much all I remember.
“I 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.
“Tyson 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.
“I quickly realised the NRL was much tougher than I thought it would be.”
Fan favourite: Ezra Mam at Monday’s fan day.Credit: Tertius Pickard/SMH
Mam went away over the summer to work on his defence and physicality. He was 79kg, but now weighs 87kg.
“I made defence my focus, put some weight on, and had Tommy Flegler and Corey Jensen running at me and roughing me up a bit,” he says. “There was no way I wanted Payne [Haas] running at me.”
Reynolds commended Mam for the endless hours he spent working on his defence.
“We all know what an attacking threat he is, but this year his defence has gone to another level – he’s not afraid to put his body in front of big blokes and give them a nice whack,” Reynolds says.
To prove what an outstanding campaign Mam has had, he was crowned Dally M five-eighth of the year on Wednesday night.
The tip is he will soon sign a three-year extension to remain at Red Hill.
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.
“Two other favourites were Craig Fitzgibbon and Brett Hodgson, but mainly because I had their tazos [collectable disk] growing up,” he says.
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.
“I was born at RPA,” Mam says. “But I only lasted six months down there – Mum must have known I couldn’t cop the place.”
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’s flashy boots.
They’re a tight group in Brisbane, and it’s reaping rewards.
“The players around me are the getting the best out of me,” he says. “I’ve grown in confidence every week, especially playing around Reyno and Walshy. I can roam and pop up where Walshy isn’t.
“Walshy is the most popular. Pretty Riki [Jordan Riki] is also popular, as is ‘Jesus’, who is better known as Pat Carrigan. I love these boys. A win on Sunday would mean everything.
“And, yes, I’m sure, I’ll find a space for another tatt.”
