Rugby pulls out big guns in bidding war for Broncos’ Payne Haas

Rugby Australia is ramping up its pursuit of one of the NRL’s biggest names, warning the rugby league won’t win a bidding war.

Payne Haas. Picture: NRL Imagery

If the Brisbane Broncos want Payne Haas to stay in the NRL, the club will have to pull out the chequebook as Rugby Australia intensified the bidding war for the superstar prop.

The Dally M Medal leader has been the sights of Rugby Australia since the 15-a-side game snagged the signature of teen freak Joseph Suaali’i.

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While rugby league has largely laughed off the attempts by rugby union to target some of the code’s best players, the money on offer is no joke.

Suaali’i signed a reported $1.6m a year three-year deal from the end of 2024, while CODE Sports reported that Rugby Australia appeared willing to offer “in excess of $1.2 million a season” to try and lure Haas.

The bustling forward is seen as being worth over a million dollars a season in the NRL and is considered arguably the best prop forward in the game.

This comes after there was plenty of discussion in 2022 that prop forward was worth $1m a season.

He also currently sits on top of the Dally M Medal leaderboard with 27 points, three points ahead of his teammate Reece Walsh on 24 points. This season the votes are worth up to six points a game with two judges watching each game and awarding points on a 3-2-1 basis. No prop has ever won the Dally M.

Payne Haas is on fire. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

But Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan warned the NRL not to get into a bidding war.

“I’m serious if they are serious … and we’ll pay more,” McLennan said.

“I took it on face value that he was keen to join rugby but nothing more has happened since.

“Payne would have an incredible international career if he joined rugby but if he decides to stay in league then at least I can say I played a role in getting him a better deal.

“Greg and Payne can buy me lunch.”

Rugby are eager to have Haas on the books for the 2025 British Lions tour and 2027 World Cup, saying he’d touched base with the NRL star’s father Gregor.

“I phoned his dad Greg,” McLennan said.

“We had a chat about Payne playing rugby.

“He said Payne was really keen and the next steps were that we’d catch up when I’m next in Brisbane.”

But while Haas is already the highest paid player at the Broncos, he is expected to become the club’s first $1m forward, assuming he stays in league.

Hamish McLennan is willing to open the chequebook. Picture: Tim Hunter.

Although the money is enticing, Broncos skipper Adam Reynolds is confident Haas will stay in Brisbane.

“I can’t see him going to rugby, although the dollars would be nice,” Reynolds said of Haas.

“His heart is in rugby league. His heart is with the Broncos.

“He just shows what a quality player he is week-in and week-out. He would obviously be a massive loss to the game if we were to lose him.”

It comes after comments last month from Broncos head coach Kevin Walters that he had no reason to believe Haas was looking for the door.

“I‘m very confident that that will happen, it might take a few weeks but I’m sure that Payne wants to stay and we certainly want to keep him,” Walters said in April.

“Payne‘s been here when there has been some tough times. We‘re into some greener pastures at the moment and Payne is a big part of that.

“We look forward to him maintaining that, he‘s enjoying his footy, loving living in ’Brizzy’. We just need him to stay here, we want him to stay.

“It‘s about keeping Payne happy and making sure he’s learning here and developing as a footballer, which I believe he is. It’s up to Payne’s management and our staff to sort a deal out.

“We‘ve got zero real reason to think Payne wouldn’t want to be here in a few years.”

Former dual-code international Wendell Sailor also recently said that he believed Haas would be “wasted in union”.

Originally published as Rugby pulls out big guns in bidding war for Broncos’ Payne Haas