NRL 2021: Payne Haas reached out to Adam Reynolds during a mid-game scrum asking him to save Tevita Pangai Jnr’s Broncos career

Payne Haas really is doing everything he can to keep Tevita Pangai Jnr at Red Hill, taking an extraordinary mid-match step to save the Broncos career of his ‘brother’.

Payne Haas has appealed for Brisbane bosses to retain Tevita Pangai Jnr following revelations the NSW Origin enforcer held a mid-match chat with marquee recruit Adam Reynolds to keep ‘TPJ’ at the Broncos.

Pangai Jnr, currently serving a three-match suspension, is rumoured to have played his last game at the Broncos with the controversial forward tipped to hit the Red Hill exits before the August 1 transfer deadline.

But Haas is doing everything possible to keep his “brother” in Broncos colours, even reaching out to Brisbane-bound Reynolds in a last-ditch attempt to save Pangai Jnr‘s career at the NRL glamour club.

The ‘Save Tevita’ campaign began last month during Brisbane’s 46-0 loss to the Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium — on the very night news broke Pangai Jnr had been given permission to find another club next season.

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Payne Haas is hoping Brisbane’s marquee recruit Adam Reynolds can keep Tevita Pangai Jnr at the Broncos.

As a scrum was set to pack down, Haas took the extraordinary mid-match step of asking Souths rival Reynolds, who will join the Broncos next season, to work his magic to keep Pangai Jnr in Broncos colours.

Whether Reynolds has the clout to convince Broncos bosses of Pangai Jnr‘s worth remains to be seen, but Haas is adamant the hot-and-cold Tongan Test star can spearhead Brisbane’s revival as a title force.

“I really hope Tevita can stay,” said Haas, who will back-up from Origin duty in Brisbane‘s clash against the Tigers on Sunday at Suncorp Stadium.

“Tevita is like a brother to me. I hold him close to my heart. I am really close to Tevita and hopefully there is some way he can stay, I hope the Broncos can see eye-to-eye and find a way for him to be here.”

Asked about his stunning mid-game appeal to Reynolds, Haas broke into a laugh.

“I can‘t remember the whole ’convo’ (conversation), we were getting pumped, but I figured ’Reyno’ could pull some strings, so I asked him (to help keep Pangai Jnr),” he said.

“At the end of the day, I‘m a footy player here. I can’t control what’s going on with other players’ contracts, so I will keep training hard and putting in for the Broncos and if other players leave, I’ll roll with the punches.

“But I just feel that Tevita is one of the best forwards in the game on his day.

“He has probably been the most consistent he has ever been this year and I felt like it was weird that we were getting rid of him because he has been one of our best this year.

Tevita Pangai Jnr may have played his last game for the Broncos.

“Tevita brings that aggression and any opponent knows he is a pretty hard guy to handle.”

The Tigers, Dragons and Bulldogs have been linked with Pangai Jnr, who is contracted to the Broncos until the end of 2022.

If Pangai Jnr‘s management can broker a subsidised deal, the Broncos forward could leave Red Hill within days. He is due to return for Brisbane’s round 20 clash against the Cowboys at Suncorp on July 30.

New Broncos head-of-football Ben Ikin said Brisbane are prepared to honour Pangai Jnr‘s existing deal.

“At this stage Tevita will remain at the Broncos up until such time that we get some guidance from his agent that things may change,” Ikin said.

“We are committed to getting the best we can from Tevita and all our players and creating the best environment from the players we‘ve got for the remainder of the year.

“We understand things will bubble away in the background and we will deal with whatever comes to us if and when any (transfer) deal is put to us.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Payne Haas reached out to Adam Reynolds during a mid-game scrum asking him to save Tevita Pangai Jnr’s Broncos career