BRISBANE SKIPPER ADMITS HE WAS LEFT BLINDSIDED BY PAYNE HAAS' DECISION TO LEAVE THE BRONCOS

Brisbane Broncos captain Adam Reynolds has admitted that he will ‘try to twist Payne Haas’ arm’ to get the star prop-forward to backflip on his decision to join South Sydney and stay at the Queensland outfit.

Haas has a 10-day cooling-off period during which he can renege on the three-year deal, which The Courier Mail reports is worth around $3.6million.

The 26-year-old is currently travelling with his team-mates to the UK to square off against Hull KR in the World Club Challenge, and Reynolds, who added that he was blindsided by the prop’s decision, stated that he was sure his team-mates would also try to convince him to stay.

‘I’ll try and twist his arm,’ Reynolds, who also confirmed that he would be retiring on Monday, said.

‘Look, it is what it is. We’ve got to focus on getting over to England now and getting the job done.

‘I’m sure the boys have been into him, trying to get him to stay at the club.

‘We love him. We love everything about "Payno" and what he’s done for this club.

‘He’s a huge reason why we [have been] successful.’

A U-turn on his deal to join the Rabbitohs does seem highly unlikely, given that the Broncos put out a statement themselves which read: ‘Haas and his management have advised the Broncos that he intends to depart the club at the end of the 2026 season.’

Haas won the 2025 premiership with Brisbane but elected not to extend his deal beyond the upcoming campaign. He had previously been linked with the mooted R360 rugby union competition and the new PNG franchise slated for 2028, but the Broncos expected him to re-sign for one year at least.

Reynolds subsequently rubbished claims that Haas had fallen out with premiership-winning coach Michael Maguire.

‘The storyline about ‘Madge’ [Maguire], that’s absolute rubbish – this has got nothing to do with Madge,’ Reynolds told The Sydney Morning Herald.

‘There’s never been a problem with Payne and Madge. They worked well together with NSW and I’ve seen the connection they have at training.

‘I don’t know what is behind Payne’s decision. I know he’s got the connection with Wayne [Bennett] and a few players down there. It certainly came as a shock.

‘I hadn’t had any conversations with him. We had the weekend off, and I’m pretty certain nobody expected the news to come out when it did.’

Reynolds added that Haas had sent him and the rest of the team a WhatsApp message, stating that he was moving to the Bunnies.

Bennett, who gave Haas his debut in 2018 when a teenager, has claimed what will be a massive boost to Souths' forward stocks.

Haas is close to new Rabbitohs recruit David Fifita, with whom he played in his initial years at the Broncos, and the two will give Bennett the on-field impact the side has been lacking in recent seasons.

Given the move of current Test forward Keaon Koloamatangi to St George Illawarra next year, the Haas arrival will come at just the right time.

This is the third time that Bennett has secured Haas in a signing coup.

The first was when Haas signed to Brisbane after being heavily linked with a move to join Melbourne. Haas told the story last year how Bennett called him when he was at the airport about to fly south to sign the Storm deal.

The call convinced him to stay.

The second time was after Haas had made a stellar debut in 2018 against the Rabbitohs but unfortunately got injured against Canterbury a fortnight later.

It was clear Haas was a generational talent, and on that occasion, Bennett moved to re-sign him on a six-year upgraded contract. Bennett was sacked at the end of the season and didn't get to reap the rewards as a coach, but the Broncos certainly did.

Now, nine years later, Bennett will finally get the opportunity to coach Haas on a regular basis in 2027.

Rabbitohs legend Ron Coote told AAP it was a massive triumph for the club.

'He's a good catch for South Sydney. Payne is a great player,' Coote said.

'Wayne needs some more troops in the middle of the field and Payne will be good for him. Wayne knows his players well and will give Payne all the direction he needs.'

Haas has played all of his 142 NRL games for Brisbane and it was a shock in some quarters that he has decided to leave.

Coote, the most recently inducted rugby league Immortal, won four titles at the Rabbitohs before joining arch-rivals Eastern Suburbs, where he won a further two premierships.

The 81-year-old said no one should begrudge Haas for making his decision to change clubs.

'I am never surprised in these situations,' Coote said.

'Players today look out for their future, exactly the same as what I did.'

Haas will finish the season with the defending premiers, but while his loss is a blow, the Broncos have rising props Xavier Willison and Ben Te Kura who are both capable of taking their games to another level.

There is, however, only one Payne Haas.

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2026-02-09T16:33:05Z