Ezra Mam's brilliance could not be buried by the injury carnage around him but Brisbane coach Kevin Walters expects the teenage playmaker to handle the NRL hype now set to come his way.
The Broncos hung tough for a 24-18 defeat of Canberra on Saturday despite finishing the game without any fit men on the bench and up to three others nursing injuries on the field.
They were already without rested State of Origin trio Kurt Capewell, Kotoni Staggs and Selwyn Cobbo, while Adam Reynolds (ribs), Payne Haas (shoulder), Herbie Farnworth (biceps) and Cory Paix (knee) all had scans on Sunday.
Farnworth requires surgery on a ruptured biceps and will miss an "extended period" according to the Broncos, leaving the English centre in doubt for the rest of the season and in a race to be fit for October's World Cup.
X-rays cleared Haas of any injury and along with Reynolds, Corey Oates (hand), Te Maire Martin (ribs) and Mam (HIA) expects to face the Storm.
But Paix could miss up to six weeks with an MCL injury, the nippy hooker injured attempting to score from the last play of the game.
It left five-time Brisbane premiership player Walters to describe the victory as among the bravest he's seen by the club.
But he was just as pleased with Mam's performance, the 19-year-old stepping through the line to score, assisting Farnworth's second try and producing several big defensive plays without usual enforcer Capewell by his side.
The prodigy scored 13 tries and added eight try assists in just 11 games for Souths Logan in last year's Queensland Cup to put himself on the map, although question marks remain around his defence.
"Everyone knows his ability to attack, but in NRL if you can't defend you'll get found out so that's why he's playing the way he is," Walters said.
Injury to Tyson Gamble has opened the door for Mam in what could be a peak into the future alongside Reynolds.
Walters said the playmaker had the temperament to handle the hype.
"He's actually a really level-headed young fella," the coach said.
"His parents have done a really good job bringing him up, he's a very humble young kid.
"He just wants to play and he's playing some good football for us."
