Brisbane Broncos confident Payne Haas can focus on footy despite father facing death penalty

The Brisbane Broncos insist Payne Haas’ season will not be derailed as the superstar prop comes to terms with the latest off-field scandal to beset his family.

Broncos coach Kevin Walters insists Payne Haas’ season will not be derailed as the superstar prop comes to terms with the latest off-field scandal to beset his family.

Haas was rocked by revelations his father Greg was arrested in the Philippines and could face the death penalty in Indonesia for drug trafficking.

The NSW Origin enforcer was informed of his father’s arrest on Wednesday, just two days before Haas played a starring role in Brisbane’s 13-12 Magic Round defeat of Manly on Friday night.

It is understood Haas was given the option of standing down, but the champion forward insisted on playing, not wanting to let the Broncos down amid the side’s injury crisis, with seven stars already sidelined.

Gregor Haas was arrested in Cebu City on Wednesday and faces extradition to Indonesia, where he is accused of running a sufficient quantity of drugs to qualify for the death penalty in that country.

Indonesian authorities were allegedly on a manhunt for the 46-year-old since last December after police discovered five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine at an undisclosed location.

Haas did not speak to media after the Manly win on Friday night, but Walters said the Broncos were rallying around the prop and is confident his father’s saga will not affect him mentally heading into the Origin period.

Brisbane Broncos player Payne Haas (left) and his father Gregor arrive at the 2019 Dally M Awards. Picture: AAP Imagery

“We’re supporting Payne in every way that we can,” Walters said.

“Payne is a very strong individual and his family is as well.

“A lot of people probably don’t understand or realise the person that Payne is.

“He is a tremendous guy, a tremendous family person and in this moment in time that he is going through, we will get around him in every way we can to support him and his family.

“That’s all we can do. Payne is such a great person of integrity and everything, so I’m sure he will find a way and we will help him find a way.

“Payne really is a strong and determined individual. And above all, he is a terrific person with his family and what he is doing for his family at the moment.

“It’s something we all need to be respectful of.”

The Broncos are constantly blown away by Haas’ mental strength and ability to compartmentalise his life.

Like the late Australian cricket legend Shane Warne, no matter the maelstrom swirling around him off the field, Haas puts the blinkers on and gets the job done regardless of the inferno raging externally.

Haas is no stranger to a family crisis. This masthead revealed in March that Haas had taken custody of his two younger brothers after Gregor, a father of 10, had moved overseas to focus on business interests.

A picture from Indonesian authorities showing Gregor Johann Haas, arrested in Cebu, Philippines.

Gregor Haas’ life shift came last year amid the 46-year-old’s struggle to cope with his wife Joan, Payne’s mother, being at the centre of a high-speed car crash which killed three people on the Gold Coast.

In 2020, Payne’s best mate, his disabled brother Chace, died suddenly after a respiratory complication.

“I think my life’s been probably drama filled all my life, so I’m pretty used to it,” Haas told this masthead last August after inking a three-year extension with the Broncos.

“My footy is separate from my private life and what happens with my family. I just try to come in, do what I love and just try being that kid again. It doesn’t really bother me that much.

“It’s been hard (seeing his mum in jail), but I guess other people go through worse. My mentality is I don’t try and dwell on it too much and just always try to keep my chest out, chin up and try and do what’s best for the team.”

Haas Sr visited Taufua in jail on a weekly basis, but began heading overseas last year.

“To be honest, seeing my wife in jail,” Gregor told this masthead last April.

“What can I say, mate … it’s just f***ed.”

“I’m going through all sorts of emotions.

“You go through a period of grieving, but then you move on.

“I don’t mean move on as in not being with Joan anymore, but life has to move on. The kids have to go to school. I have to work. Otherwise everything falls apart.

“The first four weeks when Joan was taken into custody were so hard.

“As a family, we have gone into our little shell in life. We have nothing to do with anyone really and it’s best that way. We have our little family unit and it’s my job to ensure the kids are safe and happy.

“I’m trying to stay as busy as I can. I do what I can to keep my mind off things.”

The mother of Broncos player Payne Haas, Uiatu “Joan” Taufua.

Indonesia has a strong stance on illicit drugs and the death penalty remains in place for those convicted of possessing the large quantity of drugs allegedly held by Haas Sr.

There is no suggestion Broncos and NSW Origin forward Haas has any knowledge or involvement in the matter.

The last Australians to be executed in Indonesia were Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015.

Authorities in the Philippines will attempt to extradite Gregor from the city of Manila, where he is being held after his arrest in Cebu City.

Sulistyo told the SMH his agency expected “no problems” with having Haas extradited to Indonesia.

“We suspect him to have networks all over Asia, and we also suspect he has networks in Australia,” National Narcotics Agency [BNN] spokesman Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“We have good co-operation with Australian police, so we will work with them too.”

On the eve of Brisbane’s round 1 clash in Las Vegas this year, Broncos prop Haas spoke of becoming the father figure in his growing family unit.

Not only is he a doting dad to his “miracle” daughter Lalita, who turns three in May, but Haas has stepped up and taken responsibility for his brothers Hans, 14, and Geejay, 12, after Gregor headed abroad.

Payne’s brother Chace (C) died suddenly after a respiratory complication in 2020.

“It means the world to me to be a father,” Haas said.

“I have my daughter in my life and I now have my two little brothers living with me.

“I have taken them under our household to live with me.

“I want to look over what they are doing in life and put them on the right path.

“I know my family has had some troubles lately in the last few years. I feel like it was best for them to come and live under my roof and let me guide them on the right path.

“Dad is overseas at the moment, so I wanted to be there for them.

“I’ve already got grey hairs growing looking after all these kids,” Haas adds with a laugh.

“It’s good. They are good boys and I love having my brothers around, they keep me on their toes.

“I have my partner there and she is the backbone of it all.

“I do love my family a lot so as long as they are good, I’m happy.”

One of Haas’ closest mates at the Broncos is star lock Pat Carrigan, who lauded his strength of character.

“Everyone knows what Payne Haas can do as a football player, but as a person, me and him are really close,” he said.

“We are probably like family now the two of us.

“The only thing I can say is how resilient he is.

“He is caring and he is the first one to check on all the other boys and then the load he carries willingly, for us as a club and then for his family, it’s pretty special.

“If there were more people like Payne Haas in the world, it would be a better place.

“We will support him as a friend, that’s what I think of him.”