The former Broncos halfback etched his name into rugby league folklore when he guided Wests Tigers to the 2005 title, playing alongside a young and exuberant Benji Marshall.
Few rugby league pundits would forget the Kiwi sensation’s flick pass to set up Pat Richards for one of the game’s finest tries, a moment of eccentric brilliance that has remained in grand final highlights packages ever since.
Prince believed there was something in Mam’s game style that reminded him of his old five-eighth – both thrived playing off-the-cuff football, both relished the opportunity to chance their arm.
With that has come the 21-year-old breakout campaign – scoring 15 tries in his 24 appearances, along with nine try assists and 10 line-break assists, while running for 96 metres a game.
It is a brand of football which has made Brisbane the league’s most lethal attacking side, topping the competition for tries (123) and line breaks (155), but second-worst for errors (294).
While Prince was adamant a title was there for the Broncos’ taking, he called for Mam to be wary of overplaying his hand on the big stage, or risk gifting too many lifelines to their forthcoming rivals.
“I do [see some of Marshall in Mam], jokingly I think Ezra can tackle better than both Benji and I, so that’s a good thing for him,” Prince said.
“He’s not shy to put his shoulder in and get involved in the defensive end, but he certainly has that flair and attacking ability to score points and really dictate terms as far as taking his edge close to the line.
“That [chancing his arm] is youth and that sort of carefree factor, but that can also be a negative too. When you’re going from a scrum, I remember Benji used to do his little play and hit the girl in row three when he’d come out of the scrum, and I can tell you the forwards weren’t happy with it.
“That’s something Ezra needs to learn, but he’s got an old head on his shoulders. He understands when to complete the next set and be really patient, and knows when to put in the flair and put it away when the team needs to.”
It will be a difficult balance for the Broncos to find. Make too many errors and Penrith will capitalise, as they have done so for four seasons, yet a failure to be brave and unpredictable will play into their defensive strategies.
Fortunately, Brisbane have the ideal man to decide when to pull the trigger in halfback Adam Reynolds.
The skipper will wage his second grand final duel with Panthers halves Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, determined to cast aside the heartbreak of losing the 2021 title to them.
Reynolds denied he would look to personally outpoint Cleary, declaring his focus would be on ensuring his teammates were composed and willing to be patient for their opportunities.
“There’s no personal battle there, it’s obviously a game in the past – you can’t do anything about that now,” Reynolds said.
“I’m with a new club, I’d love to win a grand final, and it’s as simple as that – whether it’s against Nathan or anyone else in that team.
“He’s probably playing better football now than he was back then, so it’s going to be a tough task, but we’ll be up for the challenge.”
Sydney Morning Herald
