Broncos star Payne Haas denies Michael Maguire player revolt rumours

Broncos enforcer Payne Haas has slammed suggestions Brisbane players are unhappy with coach Michael Maguire as ‘bollocks’, insisting there is no Red Hill dressing room revolt.

Superstar prop Payne Haas has slammed suggestions Broncos players are unhappy as “bollocks” amid fears of a dressing-room revolt against coach Michael Maguire.

Haas has emphatically denied talk of tension with Maguire and hit out at claims that Brisbane’s pack are a two-man band going into Sunday’s must-win clash against the Dragons at Suncorp Stadium.

Just six months into his three-year deal, Maguire has already copped brickbats, with the Broncos coach criticised for taking the team on a Sydney Harbour cruise two days before last Friday’s loss to Souths.

The criticism comes at a time when the Broncos have slumped to a mediocre 5-5 record amid queries over Maguire’s training methods.

Stung by four losses from five starts, Haas scoffed at reports Maguire is losing the dressing room, saying the Broncos squad has total faith in his quest to break the glamour club’s 19-year premiership drought.

Payne Haas has shot down speculation of a player revolt against Michael Maguire. Picture: Lachie Millard

“I think it’s bollocks,” Haas fired when asked if Maguire has lost the group.

“We have got his back.

“Everyone has got belief in this group and what he does with us.

“We support him 100 per cent.”

Haas saw no issue with the Broncos boarding a million-dollar vessel to cruise around Sydney Harbour on the eve of their clash with Souths, who overcame a 14-0 deficit to win 22-14.

Famed for his hard-nosed style, Maguire subjected the Broncos to their most punishing pre-season in years.

But Haas – one of the fittest forwards in the code – is relishing the hard yakka.

If the Broncos are being mentally and physically broken by Maguire’s methodologies, it’s news to Haas.

Asked if Brisbane train too hard, he shot back: “I don’t know, you guys are making up some stuff. It doesn’t come from any of us.

“It was good being with the boys (on the boat cruise).

“Honestly, it (their mood) has been good. I feel like the boys trained well the other day and ‘Madge’ (Maguire) has been pretty positive.

“He is confident in our group and he has high belief in our group, so he has been good.

“We enjoy being here and enjoy training hard, we just haven’t got the results.

“If we win it (speculation over Maguire) all goes away.”

Haas scoffed at reports Maguire is losing the dressing room. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Haas and front-row cohort Pat Carrigan have been accused of doing too much work for a Broncos pack seen as too reliant on their Test and Origin duo.

But the five-time Paul Morgan Medallist insists it’s not the Haas and Carrigan show.

“No it’s not,” he said.

“We are working hard as a pack to try and get the best out of each other. It is not just me and Patty. We have got Kobe (Hetherington) and all these boys. It is not just us.

“I have all the faith in these boys here. The boys work hard every day. Whoever steps up has got to do the job.”

Livewire five-eighth Ezra Mam makes a much-vaunted return from a nine-game suspension on Sunday and Haas backed the controversial No.6 to hit the ground running against the Red V.

“Ezra is ready 100 per cent,” he said.

“If you watch training here, he killed it. I am excited to see Ezra back and it’s always good to see him playing.

“Everyone loves him here at Brisbane. We can’t really control what people do to be honest.

“That’s one bit of advice to Ezra, you can’t control what people will do, he just has to go out and play good footy and that all goes away.”