NRL 2022: Ben Ikin and Broncos keen to end Payne Haas stand-off quickly
Brisbane football boss Ben Ikin has blasted suggestions Payne Haas is unhappy as the Broncos prepare for crisis talks with the star prop’s management.
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Brisbane football boss Ben Ikin has blasted suggestions Payne Haas is unhappy as the Broncos prepare for crisis talks with his management to keep the superstar prop at Red Hill.
In an exclusive interview with News Corp on Sunday, Haas revealed his preference is to stay at the Broncos and Brisbane will up the ante to ensure the Origin star’s shock request for an immediate release is withdrawn as quickly as it was lodged.
It is understood Haas’ new manager Tyran Smith will fly to Brisbane in the coming days for fresh negotiations as the Broncos seek a swift resolution to a contract spat that threatens to derail their charge to the playoffs.
Haas will go into NSW Origin camp on Monday and with the Broncos not due to play again until June 11 because of a round 13 bye, Brisbane bosses have time to smoke the peace pipe with his management.
Sources close to Haas suggest the prop, who is on $748,000 this season, does not feel truly valued by the Broncos and is underpaid by at least $150,000 after winning three consecutive Paul Morgan Medals as Brisbane’s No.1 player.
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His management wants Haas upgraded to $1 million next season and $1.2m by 2025. The Broncos cannot afford that under the salary cap.
There is also speculation Haas has not totally jelled with coach Kevin Walters and misses the close bond he had with former Broncos mentor Wayne Bennett, the man who first lured him to Red Hill.
But Ikin torpedoed any notion Haas is unsettled at the Broncos and vowed to fight tooth-and-nail to prevent the NSW Origin enforcer walking out on Brisbane before his current contract expires in 2024.
“Payne Haas is one of the best players in the game so we will be doing everything we can to get an outcome that’s good for the club and hopefully good for the player,” Ikin said.
“I’ve had multiple conversations over the phone and in person with his management.”
Asked if Haas has issues with Walters or the Broncos as a club, Ikin said: “Not that I am aware of.
“Payne is hugely respected by his teammates for many reasons and beyond that as an individual, I don’t think I have ever met anyone with the mental resolve that he’s got.
“His ability to compartmentalise is world class. His teammates know what he brings and they respect him as a person.
“While something as big as this can prove a distraction for many players, it won’t for Payne, because he has this laser-like focus to concentrate on what’s important, both at training and in games.
“We want to be at the table with his agents talking about his future sooner rather than later.”
In an interview with News Corp just three months ago, Haas gave no indication he wanted out. The 22-year-old said Brisbane’s wooden-spoon nightmare of 2020 under Anthony Seibold had only steeled his desire to spearhead a Broncos premiership fightback.
“I’m a pretty loyal person, it’s part of my upbringing,” Haas said in February. “It’s not always easy to be loyal in rugby league but I do want to stay at the Broncos.
“It is my goal to be a one-club player. The Broncos are a special club and I know we have the young guys coming through here to get to the top. I want to help us build that legacy and make the Broncos successful again.”
Should the Broncos refuse to ratify a $250,000 pay rise for next year, the parties face a contractual Mexican stand-off that could turn toxic.
Ikin remains confident the Haas saga will not destroy team morale, nor destabilise the Broncos, who have roared into top-four contention on the back of six straight wins.
“A season never happens in a straight line, it’s a whole lot of lumps and bumps and this is just another bump,” Ikin said.
“The job for us is to make sure as football-department leaders that we keep a sense of stability while we work through this problem.
“This situation has happened and we’re doing our best to deal with it.
“We’re hoping the positive change that is happening at this club continues to happen and Payne wants to be a part of it.”
Every time Payne Haas touches the footy #NRLBroncosTitanspic.twitter.com/hEQdD9BXvA
— Buzz (@Buzz7_) May 27, 2022
Payne Haas getting booed by home fans is just pic.twitter.com/mDxpywLClu
— Tom Hazelton's Hairline (@MattMoylansLegs) May 27, 2022
Brisbane showing Payne Haas some love â¤ï¸#NRLBroncosTitans#NRL#Bronxnationpic.twitter.com/2Ywlwde5Sf
— #BringBackHenjak (@ErrolOnToast) May 27, 2022
Walters insists ‘rattled’ Haas won’t be released
— Travis Meyn
Payne Haas was booed relentlessly as Brisbane’s loyal fans blasted the aspiring turncoat despite the Broncos producing a remarkable comeback to sink the Titans 35-24 on Friday night.
Haas dropped a bombshell on the Broncos this week when he requested an immediate release from the remainder of his contract following a $3.2 million dispute.
Contracted until the end of 2024, the Broncos denied the request, leaving Haas in the awkward position of running out in front of his home fans just 24 hours later.
And they let him know their feelings on a night full of drama in front of 32,864 at Suncorp Stadium. Broncos fans had little to cheer about as the Gold Coast burst out to a 24-4 halftime lead – so they booed Haas instead.
“It rattled me a little bit,” Haas told Channel 9 after the game.
Haas had one of his quieter games of the season – running for 121m and making 20 tackles – as the Broncos came back to notch their sixth straight win with a 35-24 victory.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters insisted the club won’t release Haas from his contract.
“I’m really confident we can sit down with Payne’s management and sort something out,” Walters said. “We’re not going to release him. He’s been a big part of our club for a few years now and into the future.
OPINION: BRONCOS FANS WILL NEVER FORGIVE HAAS
“The players are pretty resilient these days. They understand it’s a business.
“I don’t think it will drag on. He’s the best prop in the game and we don’t want to lose him. He showed his commitment tonight to play.”
Haas isn’t the first Broncos player to want out of the club in its 34-year history.
But it is the nature of how events have unfolded which has left a sour taste in the mouths of Brisbane’s loyal fans.
While he has been crowned Brisbane’s best player in each of the past three seasons, it is difficult for fans to stomach a player on $750,000 this year claiming he is so badly underpaid he wants to quit his contract.
Only premiership-winning captain and halfback Adam Reynolds, on about $800,000, is paid more at the Broncos. The fans know it is hardly a disparity worthy of throwing your toys out of the cot.
Haas, 22, was booed from the moment his profile flashed on the Suncorp big screens before kick-off. He was booed when he took the first hit-up of the game, then again with his second carry and third.
Every time he touched the ball, the Broncos’ faithful let him know their thoughts.
He couldn’t even walk off the field for a break without being jeered and was heckled when he came back on in the second half.
The boos for Haas were louder than those for Titans goalkicker Jamayne Isaako, a former Broncos player who walked out on the club earlier this year.
Haas showed little emotion. He looked at the ground as he walked along the sideline and kept a straight face when he was on the big screens.
“We love our fans, they’re passionate,” Broncos skipper Kurt Capewell said. “Payne is fully committed, he will never let the boys down. He trains hard and wears his heart on his sleeve.
“You’ve got to take into account we’ve got short careers. You never know what’s going to happen. We’re in a game where you’ve got to be passionate for your team and club and also see the business side of it. It’s a fine balance.”
Haas was playing his 71st game for the Broncos club he debuted with as an 18-year-old in 2018.
While the Broncos have rejected Haas’ release request, this problem is far from sorted.
It has the potential to bubble along, fester and cause so many headaches the Broncos may well look to rip the Band-Aid off and let Haas walk.
Judging by the reception he received from the Broncos’ fans that have loved him so dearly, they may not be that disappointed to see him walk.
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