Weekend Read: Why Payne Haas’ visit to a Fijian hospital’s childrens ward should convince the NRL star to shun R360
The Brisbane Broncos’ time visiting hospital-bound children in Fiji should be a reminder of Payne Haas’ influence as an NRL star, and proof that defecting to R360 is not the answer.
If anyone deserved to put their feet up and sip on a few Pina coladas after a long and ultimately successful year, it was Brisbane powerhouse Payne Haas.
If Reece Walsh was the lightning behind Brisbane’s premiership success, Haas was the thunder. The man who dominated the middle and helped create the space for Walsh to weave his magic.
Not content with spearheading the end of the Broncos’ premiership drought, Haas then almost inspired Samoa to a win in the Pacific Championships.
All in all, it was a hell of a year for the big fella and you couldn’t blame him for packing up his family and shooting off to Fiji for some alone time with his nearest and dearest.
No-one expected to see video emerge of Haas this week and if it did, the smart money was on him being papped with his shirt off on a banana lounge, drink in hand.
Instead, Haas - armed to the hilt with Brisbane Broncos gear - took his family to the Aspen Lautoka Hospital and did the rounds of the children’s ward, spreading the gospel and putting smiles on some struggling faces.
“First time coming here, so obviously very humbling,” Haas told the Fiji Sun.
“Very cool what they are doing here. Going into the children’s ward was very special. Seeing them smile, makes us very grateful and very happy for what we have got as well.
“Going into the children’s ward and seeing all the kids there, how happy they are still, very blessed and grateful to see that.”
Inevitably, Haas was asked about his playing plans for the future given the speculation suggesting he is a big-money target for rebel rugby union competition R360.
“We’ll see what happens,” he replied.
We’re told Haas also visited Ratu Navula College while he was in Fiji and spent some time playing touch football with the kids. His brothers Hans and Geejay got involved as well.
It was heart-warming stuff and no doubt the reception Haas received gave him some food for thought as he juggles his own future.
This was the reminder of the power Haas wields as a rugby league player, giving him the ability to change lives and put smiles on faces is in large part thanks to the growing influence of the NRL in the Pacific region.
Haas carries enormous gravitas even in a country like Fiji, where rugby union is the dominant sport. One wonders how his legacy would be impacted if he accepted the big money on offer in R360 and ended up playing for a team in Madrid or Miami.
Perhaps it won’t be an issue. Talk out of Europe on Friday morning suggested R360 was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Well-placed sources told Weekend Read that all the chat was that R360 was losing momentum and suffering potential funding issues.
Communication with the breakaway competition has seemingly been quiet over the past fortnight, which is never a good sign. Talk has bordered on unresponsive or delayed, with minimal information being shared, sources told this column.
Some deals with R360, we’re told, remain incomplete. Documents have not been forthcoming. The whole thing remains largely a mystery wrapped in a riddle.
Some agents, having led the charge to take players to R360, now appear to be running a mile. It doesn’t bode well for a competition that turned the heads of some of rugby league’s biggest stars, including Haas.
ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys has been warning players for months to tread carefully. PVL doesn’t often get it wrong and it appears he has nailed it again.
He threatened 10 year bans for players and agents involved, but the uncertainty surrounding the competition’s very existence is likely to have a more telling effect when it comes to rugby league players making a call over their future.
What must Zac Lomax be thinking right now. As more information emerges, it appears he has been led up the garden path. Sold a vision that is now on the brink.
Meanwhile, Haas has returned to Brisbane to make a call on his own future.
The Broncos are at the table with a deal that will make him a wealthy young man. It isn’t R360 money, but it is the sort of cash that can be life-changing.
Importantly, it will also allow him to continue making the sort of trips he made this week. Trips that can impact young lives and give hope to those who are less fortunate. Trips that can leave a lasting legacy. Trips that reinforce the power of sport and the people who play it.
Ultimately, you can’t put a price on that.
******
Hasn’t Monty Panesar goosed himself this week.
The English spinner thought he would start a war with Steve Smith on the eve of the Ashes series but all he has done is made a fool out of himself.
Panesar was a handy cricketer in a former lifetime, although his record in the Ashes doesn’t exactly scream out superstar. Panesar averaged 53.64 with the ball against Australia.
Turned out he was a bit of a dud on these shores.
Anyway, Monty thought he could stir up some trouble on the eve of the Ashes by starting a stink with Smith. He even brought up Sandpaper-gate. Oh, the irony.
Panesar is his own autobiography admitted to using mints, sun cream, and trouser zippers to change the condition of the ball during matches to help it reverse swing.
Pot. Kettle. Black. If I was the Poms, the last thing I would want to do on the eve of the Ashes is light a fire under Smith.
The stand-in Aussie skipper has made a habit out of scoring runs against England over the years. He doesn’t need any extra motivation, but Panesar has handed it to him.
Can’t say I am a huge cricket fan these days - I started switching off a few years back when it seemed to be on 24/7 - but you can’t beat the Ashes.
So I might switch back on over the next few weeks and indulge in one of the great sporting events on the calendar.
I look forward to Smith’s response. History suggests runs are coming.
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Originally published as Weekend Read: Why Payne Haas’ visit to a Fijian hospital’s childrens ward should convince the NRL star to shun R360
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