Brisbane coach Michael Maguire threatened to swing the axe and he swung it hard, with Ezra Mam dropped to the bench and young gun Tom Duffy recalled at five-eighth.
Last week Mam was sitting on the Queensland bench and hoping to be injected into the opening State of Origin clash.
Instead he's been ejected from the Broncos starting side and is no guarantee of getting on the field at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night against Gold Coast.
The Broncos have lost their past four games and 2025 premiership winner Mam has been underwhelming.
Former North Queensland playmaker Duffy, just 22, has been outstanding in the three NRL games he has played for the Broncos.
Brisbane's 30-26 loss to last placed St George Illawarra on Sunday hurt Mam's chances. He was off the pace and the Dragons took a 30-8 lead. He did have a leg issue and came to the bench briefly but went straight back on.
