Ezra Mam has engineered a Brisbane comeback for the ages, keeping the Broncos in the race for the NRL top four with a 22-18 win over Canterbury.

On a Friday night when the Bulldogs' halves picture grew even murkier, Brisbane, lead by Mam, scored four tries in the final 20 minutes to win the game after trailing 18-0.

Booed with every touch of the ball at Accor Stadium, Mam was at the centre of it all as he laid on three perfect passes late to mask over a poor Brisbane first half.

The result kept the Broncos within two wins of the top four and the injury-stricken Warriors, and marked their second victory over Canterbury this year.

Down on confidence and strike a month ago, the Broncos have now won four straight after also overhauling a 16-point deficit against Cronulla last month.

But for 60 minutes on Friday, this looked like it would be anything but a good night for a Broncos side fielding two debutants.

Selwyn Cobbo had a nightmare first half at fullback, while halfback Adam Reynolds sent two kicks out on the full and had another charged down.

But at 18-0 after 60 minutes and with Canterbury on the attack, it looked as if the Bulldogs had done enough to move back, momentarily, to the top of the ladder.

Enter Mam.

The five-eighth breathed life back into the Broncos when he made use of some broken play, shrugged off two defenders and sent Josiah Karapani over.

Five minutes later he again created havoc on the left, laying on a beautiful cut-out ball to put centre Delouise Hoeter between two defenders and make it 18-10.

Billy Walters scored a crucial try when he deceived Connor Tracey out of dummy-half.

Then it was Mam again who produced the match-winner, juggling a ball before this time going short to second-rower Brendan Piakura to put him across.

Mam has been the most controversial figure in rugby league this year after his nine-match ban for crashing a car while driving unlicensed and with drugs in his system.

PIAKURA SCORES ðŸ'

Telstra Moment of the Match pic.twitter.com/sTl4MRfEq9

— NRL (@NRL) July 4, 2025

But after being Queensland's 18th man for State of Origin II, he was the difference on Friday night.

"The way Reyno (Reynolds) and Ezra are coming together, they are starting to grow together a bit," coach Michael Maguire said.

"Ezra took the game on. I saw Reyno talk to him at halftime about what they needed to do, and he went out there and did it.''

Cobbo also had two big plays late in his first NRL game in five weeks, after a nightmare first half when the Dolphins-bound star failed to clean up two kicks in the lead-up to Bulldogs tries.

Filling in at fullback, he and Deine Mariner first let Burton chase through on his own kick and score.

Another then came when a Lachlan Galvin bomb was allowed to bounce, and Viliame Kikau strolled over.

Brisbane currently sit fifth on the NRL ladder with a 9-7 record, with the Bulldogs (11-4) a game clear in second.

Scott Bailey - AAP