If Payne Haas was an American athlete, his life story would by now have been made into a Netflix series.
The NSW colossus is carrying the hopes of his state – and the future of his daughter and younger brothers – on his broad shoulders with a heavy sadness in his heart.
Last month, Haas’ father, Gregor, was arrested in the Philippines charged with drug trafficking. His extradition is being sought by Indonesia and, if extradited and convicted, he faces the death penalty.
Haas’ mother, Uiatu “Joan” Taufua, is also in custody, having been accused of fleeing a two-vehicle crash in the Gold Coast hinterland under the influence of alcohol which left three people dead. Her case is in limbo as she awaits psychiatric testing, and she is yet to enter a formal plea.
Haas, 24, has custody of his two school-aged brothers, Hans and Geejay, while also looking after his own daughter, Lalita. It is a situation that would have broken lesser men. Yet Haas soldiers on with quiet stoicism.
“I never see him falter,” his fiancee, Lani, told this column. “Not even when the doors are shut and it’s just me and him.”
Blues star Payne Haas and partner Lani.
At this point, Lani can’t hold back her tears. “I’m just so proud of him,” she says. “He is so strong mentally. His whole life is in the media. What he is doing for his family, what he is doing for me.
“I’m sorry if I can’t put it into words. His strength is just ... he is amazing. He’s really stepped up to care for those young boys. I don’t know how he doesn’t collapse.”
Like Payne, Lani is 24. Born in Mona Vale and a Manly fan, she met Payne as a 20-year-old and, since then, has seen his family life fall apart.
“I think disappointed is the best way to say how I feel for Payne,” Lani says. “The trauma he has experienced, the loss ... I’m 24 now and I’m basically a mother of three. Our little one and his brothers ... With the help of my family, his brothers and friends like Tevita [Pangai jnr, his former Brisbane and NSW teammate] we are bringing up a family ... it’s wild.
Payne Haas with his daughter Lalita.
“He doesn’t show it [but] I’m sure deep down there’s disappointment. And there would definitely be anger. But he doesn’t show it. He never lets any of his anger or trauma get to him. He’s always positive and always trying to do better.”
For Haas, there is plenty of hurt.
“I’m not angry but I do get sad,” he said. “I do feel down for my little brothers. I just feel for them and they have to see this kind of stuff. You can’t really change everything now. It’s all happened now and I just need to make sure they have the support.
“I get supported by Lani and I’m unable to thank her enough. She is in a tough spot but she doesn’t back down from anything. She has taken on so much for me and I can’t thank her enough for that.”
Payne Haas with his brothers Hans and Geejay.
That he can keep playing at the level he does is incredible.
“He is so focused and so passionate and determined,” Lani said. “I don’t know where he gets the strength from. But I know we work together so well and we don’t let anything get between us. We know we can deal with anything.”
Madge’s big gamble
In the past, the closest Michael Maguire has come to having a Hollywood quality about him is being mistaken for Woody Harrelson.
Maguire is a coach famed for giving the media nothing – but suddenly. there he was, serving it up to Queensland, turning the spotlight on his opposite, Billy Slater. Be sure it was a deliberate ploy. And it sets the stage for an awkward face-to-face at the teams’ joint media conference in Melbourne on Tuesday.
Billy v Madge in front of a Slater-friendly crowd in his “home” city. Maguire will definitely be the “black hat” and Billy the local hero. You get the feeling that’s just how Maguire wants it.
Maguire has known for some time that Origin is about showbiz. He just decided now is the time to embrace it. One-nil down and with a team looking for some protection after suggestions they took Reece Walsh out with a premeditated strike in game one, Maguire went on the offensive.
“You have to make sure you don’t live in glasshouses,” Maguire said on Monday. “That’s all I’ll say.
“Things happen on the field. Joey [Suaalii] is a special human being, and to have to deal with that ... things happen on the field. Glasshouses. Interesting.”
It’s an all-or-nothing play, because the “glasshouses” remark will anger the Maroons. And a motivated Queensland is even more dangerous than usual.
The greatest example was when Cameron Smith single-handedly beat the Blues with his running game after a week when he was hammered in a 60 Minutes story on Alex McKinnon. It may have been his best display as a Queensland player and it came when he was most under pressure.
Trent’s Achilles Eel
It was surprising that Trent Barrett was in the running for the Eels job, given he was part of the coaching team headed by Brad Arthur deemed not good enough to take Parramatta forward.
Barrett had very average results in his last two coaching jobs, at Manly and Canterbury, and did well to land a gig at Parramatta.
Barrett’s results were not the only issue. He was seen to be too close to his players at Manly and in 2017 was the coach when one of his assistants, Willie Peters, complained of being bullied at the club and departed by mutual consent. Barrett also complained publicly about club facilities while at the Sea Eagles.
Things didn’t improve at the Bulldogs, where the club floundered under his coaching.
Where it gets interesting is that Barrett tried to mount a charm offensive to help him get the Parramatta job. We will never know if Barrett asked Clint Gutherson and Mitchell Moses to support him publicly, but either way the backing of two of the club’s star players did not endear him to Eels powerbrokers, as they don’t want player power to factor in the process of finding a new coach. In other words, the players’ involvement backfired.
Brandon smith played well against the Bulldogs on Saturday night.Credit: Getty Images
Round of applause
Read the following quotes from Brandon Smith on The Bye Round podcast. There has been nothing better said by a player under the pump. Yes, some journalists have agendas, or loyalty to certain people in the game, which impact the way some stories are presented. But when you have been fined and dropped by your club for a disciplinary breach, like Smith was, the facts carry the story.
Smith showed maturity and awareness when taking it on. He said: “You’ve got to take the good days with the bad days and recognise that because you’re in the papers for being bad.
“They don’t purposely target you all the time, and you’re usually in there for doing something negative. If you can turn that around and do something positive, you’re going to get in the papers for doing something positive.
“Journos get a bad rap ... they report what’s the hot news and I don’t have any concerns about them writing bad stuff about me because at the moment, I’m not being good enough.”
Watson dogfight
The Bulldogs played a role in the revival of the game’s most versatile player, Connor Watson. They made his club, the Roosters, realise his true value, resulting in him receiving a salary that gave him security and helped him regain his confidence and self-worth.
After a season on the sidelines in 2023 with a knee injury, the Bulldogs made Watson a good offer when there wasn’t a huge amount of interest in him from the Roosters. Talks progressed so far the Bulldogs were even working out the best possible medical treatment to help him recover from his serious patella injury.
It was only when the Bulldogs were about to pounce that the Roosters came in with a late contract offer to keep Watson, who has been arguably Trent Robinson’s best player this season.
Big-hearted Blues make kids’ day
It’s not the kind of story that sells papers or gets clicks online, but it is a reflection of the character Michael Maguire is looking for from his NSW players as they prepare for a game that will make or break many careers. The stakes couldn’t be higher, but this group of Blues still finds time for others – as this email from a primary school in Katoomba, near NSW’s Blue Mountains base, described.
“This morning we saw some of the team enjoying a local breakky just across from our school. We approached to invite them to visit, and god love them, they did! Could you please pass on our absolute sincere gratitude for the time they spent with us?
“My son is at home with a newly broken collarbone, he got out of bed quick smart and came to school just to see the boys – they gave him lots of attention and encouragement!”
From Kate and team at St Canice’s Primary.
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