Brisbane Broncos five-eighth Ezra Mam has bulked up five kilos over the off-season as he targets improving his defensive clout and securing the No.6 jersey in round one next year.
The 19-year-old excitement machine played 13 NRL games in a breakout season in 2022, scoring six tries and having seven assists.
His razzle-dazzle style and speed was a feature but Brisbane's form fell away at the end of the season and so did Mam's.
He was dropped for the final-round game against St George Illawarra after missing 18 tackles in big losses to Melbourne and Parramatta.
Next season he will face stiff competition from former Wests Tigers playmaker Jock Madden for the five-eighth position.
Mam said he had worked on increasing the consistency of his defensive reads at training and becoming more adept at taking heavy collisions without falling off the attacker.
"Being my second year, I will probably get targeted a lot more and I have done a lot in the off-season to get my weight up," he said, adding he was feeling fitter and stronger than at the same time last year.
"That is something that is going to help me ... carrying more body weight and muscle mass in the contact.
"I am sitting around 87 (kilos) after playing the season at 82. Hopefully that should be good for me."
Captain Adam Reynolds was the main kicker in general play last season but Mam chimed in as the other option.
Next year new fullback Reece Walsh will also kick in general play which will take the heat off Mam.
"It is definitely good having Reece there as a left-foot kicker on the left side of the field," Mam said.
"Me and him will have a chat about who will kick in which areas, depending on what defensive systems we are up against.
"Reece has got a big mouth on him and it is good to have him on the field with all that energy. You can always hear him and that will help us with his communication."
