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Debate has erupted after Michael Maguire once again picked Ezra Mam on the bench, instead of his regular five-eighth position, ahead of a bumper grand final clash with the Storm.

Maguire has again opted to pick Hunt at five-eighth ahead of Mam, with Mam to come off the bench in the decider as an injection of energy off the pine.

The Broncos secured remarkable comeback victories in their first two finals games.

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In the qualifying final against the Raiders, they trailed 28-12 with just 15 minutes remaining in regular time, before coming back to secure a 29-28 golden point win.

Then in the preliminary final, the Broncos were down 14-0 at halftime against the Panthers, and somehow recovered to win 16-14.

That was in large part due to Mam’s contribution off the bench.

But Fox League’s Paul Crawley is concerned the Broncos can’t afford to give up another big lead against the Storm.

“I don’t think that they can (give up a lead) again,” Crawley said on NRL 360 on Tuesday night.

“I think they need to start fast. To beat the Storm, they need to start fast.

“I would have had Ezra in the six jumper, and I would have had Ben Hunt in the nine.

“I think that’s their best team.”

NRL360 host Braith Anasta echoed Crawley’s opinion, highlighting the fact giving up a lead against the Storm could prove disastrous.

“It’s a good point you make. It’s hard to keep coming back,” Anasta added.

“That win will take a lot out of them. Even though it was amazing and the fans were pumped.

“They’ve proven to themselves they can come back now and they’ve done it so much this year.

“But it is hard to do it against Melbourne, very hard to do against Melbourne.”

However, The Daily Telegraph’s journalist Dean Ritchie had a different view, instead urging Maguire to stick solid.

“You’d have to be insane to change your halves between the prelim and the grand final, after you’ve just won a big game,” Ritchie said.

“I just think that that’s their best team,” Crawley responded.

To which Ritchie said: “It may well be, Crawls.

“But it’s a 17-man game.

“Ezra was used so effectively off the bench last week, and he will be used effectively again this week.

“But to change your two halves, who have set the standard during the (finals), in the week of the grand final, would have been madness.”

Anasta seemed to lean more towards Crawley’s line of thinking.

“I don’t disagree, but there’s an argument, definitely, to change it,” Anasta said.

“They only won by two points (against the Panthers). They came from behind.”

Ritchie doubled down on his point, explaining that Mam coming off the bench is already a winning formula

“It wasn’t broken, Braith, so why would you try to change a winning side?” Ritchie asked.

“I’m not saying they should. All I’m saying is that there’s a fair argument there with the quality of player that Ezra Mam is,” Anasta replied.

Crawley believes Hunt adds more value to the team in the dummy half role.

“Ben Hunt is a pretty good half. He’s a great hooker. That’s how I see it,” Crawley said.

“When he plays for the Queensland side, he plays nine.”

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