Haas opens up on Broncos future, 'weird' Origin opener

Payne Haas couldn't imagine himself playing for another NRL club, shutting down the possibility of a move from Brisbane.
The best prop in the NRL is without a contract beyond 2026 so could negotiate with rival clubs from November, including the cashed-up Perth Bears franchise that enters the competition from 2027.
Haas would be a contender for the NRL's highest salary if he made the move west and has the chance to scope out the city next week, when he spearheads NSW's bid for a State of Series series win at Optus Stadium.
But after Haas' agent told AAP last week his client was settled in Brisbane, the 25-year-old reiterated he was hopeful of a new deal at the Broncos.
"We want to stay in Brisbane. That's the main priority," Haas said at the Blues' camp in Leura.
"We know where we both stand and I couldn't see myself playing for another club. Hopefully we get that deal done. If not, it is what it is.
"My family's there (in Brisbane), we love it and there would be no point in my leaving."
The Broncos' recent struggles have not swayed Haas from his desire to play on at the club who signed him as a teenager.
But Haas admitted he breathed a sigh of a relief after Saturday's emphatic defeat of Gold Coast, which snapped a four-game losing streak for Michael Maguire's side.
"It's a bit of relief. We're in a bit of a crap patch there," he said.
"(The scrutiny) is a bit intense up there. I haven't seen anything like it, to be honest. But all the boys are doing well up there. It's pretty easy to manage when you've got a good group.
"Honestly, it helps, winning. We're working so hard in club land. It just hurts not winning. To get that win, coming into (NSW) camp, it's a bit easier."
A quadriceps injury troubled Haas during camp for the Origin series opener but he nevertheless took man of the match honours in a dominant win for the Blue.
Haas is relishing the chance for an uninterrupted week at training ahead of Origin II on June 18.
"It was a bit weird, that first camp, I wasn't sure if I was playing or not at the start of the week," he said.
"I'm pretty grateful that I get to train with the boys all week and get the combos right because I felt a bit underdone going into that first game.
"I was bit worried but it all turned out well."

Hashtags

Sports

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Utoikamanu moves to make Origin mark after 2023 tease

West Australian

40 minutes ago

West Australian

Utoikamanu moves to make Origin mark after 2023 tease

Stefano Utoikamanu spent two years feeling so teased by 12 minutes of State of Origin that it prompted the front-rower to uproot his life and move to Melbourne. The one fresh face in the NSW team for Origin II in Perth next week, Utoikamanu has every right to feel like he is making his debut again. The 25-year-old played his sole Origin two years ago, playing 12 minutes for the Blues in their game-two loss that surrendered the series at Suncorp Stadium in 2023. It was enough time for six touches of the football and seven tackles, but hardly enough for the prop to feel like he'd been able to make his mark in the Origin arena. "I've thought about that a lot," Utoikamanu said. "I didn't really get a real taste of getting in there. I played 12 minutes and it's pretty hard coming off the bench, you've got to make an impact. "If you don't make an impact there's not really any point you being out there. "I'm happy I get another opportunity to go in there and show them what I can actually do. That first time I felt like I didn't do what I needed to do." Utoikamanu said he had "chilled" as a footballer since his Origin debut, having also represented Samoa since. But he has also made no secret of his desire to get back in a Blues jersey. It was a big part of the front-rower's thinking when he moved to Melbourne from Wests Tigers at the end of last year. Utoikamanu says "it's hard to say" if he would be playing this week had he stayed at the Tigers, as one of only two men to feature in Origin while at the club since 2018. Regardless, the Auckland-born talent knows the Storm move has helped, where he is now playing under NSW coach Laurie Daley's new adviser Craig Bellamy. "Coming to the Melbourne Storm has helped me a fair bit in trying to get back into this arena," Utoikamanu said. "It was one of the things I looked at when I was going to leave the Wests Tigers. "I feel like the Melbourne Storm have such a good system, and being in it now I'm happy I made the move. "There's a system there that's made a lot of players get better. A lot of players go there and become better, there's a lot of teams you can't say that (about). "Melbourne's one of those teams that when you go there you have to do the hard work, but when you do the hard work you're going to become a better player."