NSW Blues coach Brad Fittler raises expectations of Matt Lodge and Payne Haas

Last season they showed they had the ability – but now Brad Fittler says Matt Lodge and Payne Haas must be the driving force that unites Brisbane behind a genuine premiership push.

Payne Haas (left) and Matt Lodge (right) are seen during Brisbane Broncos training at Clive Berghofer Field in Brisbane, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. The Broncos are playing the West Tigers in their round 5 NRL clash in Brisbane on Thursday night. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

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NSW coach Brad Fittler has challenged Brisbane’s Origin contenders Matt Lodge and Payne Haas to fire up as NRL enforcers, claiming the Broncos lacked unity to be a premiership team last season.

Haas and Lodge are eyeing NSW Origin jumpers this season but Fittler says the Broncos Twin Towers’ primary focus should be providing the muscle and aggression to break Brisbane’s 14-year premiership drought.

Lodge, Brisbane’s senior front-rower, was in the frame for a NSW call-up last year before being usurped by teammate Haas, who bolted into the Blues squad for an Origin I debut after just 10 NRL games.

Haas was named in an extended NSW squad in December for a pre-season camp, but Lodge’s omission is a sign Fittler wants more impact from the Broncos’ pack leader.

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It’s time for Haas and Lodge to deliver to club and state. Photo: AAP Image/Darren England

Broncos coach Anthony Seibold is under pressure to right the wrongs of a 2019 campaign that ended with a 58-0 finals disaster against Parramatta and Fittler says Brisbane’s title hopes hinge on the Lodge-Haas alliance.

“Payne and Lodge need to drive the Broncos,” said Fittler, who himself emerged from the same Penrith junior-development system as Lodge.

“It’s something I didn’t really see last year – the Broncos as a team didn’t seem like a unit.

“Individually, they (Lodge and Haas) can have some great games but you need to get your team to win.

“They are only young and it’s a big ask for them at the moment, but Lodge and Haas have to lead the way and rally their team.

“Brisbane’s forwards have a big job this season. They have a lot of young guys in that squad. Alex Glenn is the new captain and he is going to need some help.

“There were some good individual efforts from the Broncos last year but as a team they didn’t look fantastic too often.”

Fittler stirred controversy by selecting Lodge for the Emerging Blues. Photo: Phil Hillyard

The 24-year-old Lodge is entering a critical midpoint of his career.

The controversial prop has amassed 47 games in two seasons for the Broncos and is forging a promising partnership with the 118kg Haas, who at 20 is regarded as a front-row superstar.

The Broncos’ annual objective is a top-four finish but Fittler believes Lodge and Haas will face enormous responsibility in the engine room.

“Pressure hurt the Broncos last year, so it will be interesting to see what their coach (Seibold) does this year,” said Fittler, a 336-game NRL icon.

“Everyone is saying the Broncos will go great, but someone has to miss the finals, someone has to come in the bottom eight.

“Lodge offers a lot more than most props. He can play really big minutes and the thing I like about Matt is that he can pass the ball, he has a lot of footy in him.

“I watched him as a kid coming through and he is like a five-eighth in a front-rower’s body.

“He is a special talent. It’s just about putting it all together.”

Haas has shown he is good enough for Origin. Photo: AAP Image/Darren England

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Former Queensland lock Billy Moore says Lodge will benefit from being overlooked for the Broncos captaincy.

“I think Matt should be relieved not to have the captaincy,” he said.

“Unfortunately his past cannot be totally erased, so he would have been in a compromised position if something went wrong for him as captain.

“It’s best that Matt does his talking with his actions.

“I want Lodge to be the enforcer and the intimidator and if he did that as captain, it would have reminded people of what he did in New York.

“If Lodge doesn’t play with aggression, he is of no value. He needs to be like David Klemmer and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves – if he tries to curtail that natural aggression, it will let himself and the Broncos down.”