Brisbane coach Michael Maguire threatened to swing the axe and he swung it hard, with Ezra Mam dropped to the bench.
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.
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.
"Obviously we're not getting the starts right, we're not matching intensity at times and it's not good enough," Maguire said.
Mam, who trained with the Broncos on Tuesday and moved freely, is the man to feel the coach's wrath.
Maguire said he was not afraid to make changes and he has done so to try to ignite the 11th placed Broncos.
The club has employed Melbourne and Queensland legend Cameron Smith as a consultant to assist the senior leaders and spine members in a mentoring role. Smith was at Brisbane HQ at Red Hill on Tuesday to pass on his wisdom.
Brisbane will next face the Gold Coast Titans at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.
Australian Associated Press
