He is widely regarded as the premier prop in rugby league, but Payne Haas is sick of losing to front-row rivals James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota.
While a pair of Test wins against New Zealand in the next 11 days will do nothing to soothe the grand final heartbreak against Penrith, Brisbane’s Haas says he could at least take some comfort knowing he had finally got one over Penrith’s powerhouse pair.
Just as Haas was outstanding in the opening 20 minutes for Australia in the opening Pacific Championships game against Samoa, Fisher-Harris and Leota ran riot over the weekend.
“It won’t soften the blow of losing the grand final, but it would be nice to finally beat those guys because they’re always beating me,” Haas told this masthead. “They’re always getting it over me.
“I have tremendous respect for them, especially after going into battle with them in the grand final. I’ve been trying to forget about the grand final. It still hurts.
“That last 20 minutes really hurts. It sucks. I don’t even like talking about it. I haven’t even watched the game back yet.
Heavyweight showdown: Payne Haas is sick of losing to James Fisher-Harris and Moses Leota
“I’ve only seen glimpses of it. After the season is finished, I’ll probably watch it and reflect on it. But I knew I had to be on my A-game that night to match it with them because they’re big-game players. They’ve proven in grand finals they can topple anyone.
“I wanted to stand up against the two best props – they are the two best big-game props. They’ll be up for it again in the coming weeks, but I’m keen.”
As well as the grand final earlier this month, Haas lost to Fisher-Harris and Leota in round 12 after scoring a rare win over them in the season opener, having lost twice to them in 2021 and 2020. Haas was absent from the sole meeting between the sides in 2022, won 40-12 by Penrith
Nathan Cleary’s late masterclass in the grand final took all the headlines, but it was the go-forward of Fisher-Harris and Leota that allowed the halfback to shine.
Kiwis captain James Fisher-Harris leads the haka on Saturday.Credit: Getty Images
Leota ran straight over the top of Broncos lock Pat Carrigan a couple of times, which “never happens to Pat”, said Haas.
The 23-year-old Haas remains an outside chance of missing this Saturday’s clash at AAMI Park, but will be back on deck for the November 4 final in Hamilton, New Zealand, where the epic battle up front will be a highlight.
Haas has the chance to build a starting front-row combination with Tino Fa’asuamaleuai, which could lead the way for Australia at the next couple of World Cups.
The Kangaroos arrived in Albury on Saturday, and more than 1500 locals watched them train on Monday.
Haas admitted he feared he might miss the Pacific Championships altogether because of a hip-drop tackle on Cleary, which forced him out of the end-of-season Tests with a knee injury. Fined $1800 for the tackle. Haas said he never meant to injure his NSW Origin teammate, and was not even aware he had hurt himself because of the speed of the game.
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