Latest news with #PayneHaas
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kevin Walters handed boost as potential Kangaroos defector 'hasn't made a decision'
New Kangaroos coach Kevin Walters said he only wants to take players to England who want to represent the green and gold as Tino Fa'asuamaleaui admits he hasn't come to a decision over a potential switch. Walters knew one of his first roles as the national coach was to address reports trio Hamiso Tabui-Fidow, Payne Haas and Fa'asuamaleaui are all thinking of playing for Samoa at the end of the season. The trio have all played for Australia at some point, but are considering playing for Samoa moving forward. While this has opened up a debate around State of Origin eligibility, the trio are yet to make any official call with the NRL season still going. Although Fa'asuamaleaui has broken his silence around the situation and claimed he will make his decision after the season's end. But it appears Walters will have time to meet with the Queensland forward who hasn't made up his mind. "For now I haven't made a decision. I'm hoping I'm in the boat where I have to make a decision," Fa'asuamaleaui said. "Obviously being in rehab probably rules that out at the moment. I just want to get my knee right, play good football and hopefully I get to that point at the end of the year where I get to select." Fa'asuamaleaui said he has been tossing up the decision after a visit back to Samoa to see his family. "I am massively connected to my Samoan culture. Me and Iszac were fortunate enough to go back at the end of last year after 10 years," he said. "To be back there with my family and see all the kids I grew up with who now have kids like me, it brought a real connection to my culture. I have always loved being Samoan and I am still on that journey of learning my culture more and understanding it." Fa'asuamaleaui played six games for Australia across 2022 and 2023, but has been injured in recent years having struggled to back-up for the green and gold at the end of the season. And while Fa'asuamaleaui is unsure of who he will play for, Walters claimed he isn't going to ask any of them to remain in the green and gold if they don't want to represent the jersey. RELATED: Hughes re-signs as Munster twist could prevent another star leaving Stunning development for Cleary brothers as Luai under heavy fire Kevin Walters issues demand to Aussie stars Speaking on NRL 360, Walters claimed he respects the decision of the players wanting to make a switch and won't stand in their way. The former Australian representative said he wants to restore the pride in the jersey and only wants players who want to play for Australia in the 22-man squad to tour England. 'I have had some conversations and picked up the phone,' Walters said on Monday. 'There will be some meetings in the next couple of weeks with those guys. I won't be trying to convince them to play for the Kangaroos. "I will sit down with these guys and outline my plan on where we are going to take the jersey and then get an understanding of their feelings towards that and how they feel about playing for the Kangaroos. If they want to continue and play for our jersey that is great I love that and if they don't I totally respect that.' Tabuai-Fidow played for Samoa in the 2022 World Cup, but was hampered with injury and only featured in one game. He has represented Australia six times since then having won the Pacific Championship last year in a stacked side. Haas has represented Australia four times. The Kangaroos will play a three-match Ashes series for the first time since 2003, with the first Test against England getting underway at London's Wembley Stadium on October 25. Walters will select a 22-man squad to tour England after the NRL season.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Broncos make huge call on Payne Haas as Bulldogs cop potentially season-ending blow
The Brisbane Broncos insist they will keep playing Payne Haas despite admitting they are managing the powerhouse prop's workload in the face of a number of injury niggles. It comes as the Bulldogs' NRL finals hopes copped a major blow with news that fullback Connor Tracey is in danger of missing the rest of the season after being sent to hospital with an abdominal injury. Broncos prop Haas has been dealing with an ongoing lower back issue that troubled him during the Blues' Origin series defeat. And Haas was also seen limping at the end of Brisbane's shock loss to Parramatta last week after a knock to the ankle, which fortunately wasn't serious enough to require scans. But the Broncos' head of football Troy Thomson - who was also the high performance manager for the Kangaroos and the premiership-winning Rabbitohs side in 2014 - explained that it is more beneficial for Haas to continue training and playing with Brisbane. The 25-year-old wrecking ball trained on Monday and will continue to have his workloads managed, but the Broncos have rejected the suggestion that he should be rested. "If Payne can't play a game of footy of course we are going to give him a rest, but this whole notion that giving him a rest is going to fix him is not how the human body works," Thomson told AAP. "Movement helps recovery. If you don't move, you get sorer. "We are managing Payne's loads, like we do all of the players on an individual basis to ensure they are fresh enough but also have sufficient fitness, strength, flexibility and range of motion to play week-in and week-out NRL. It is about ensuring they have the right stimulus ... and volume and intensity of load as well." Thomson said resting Haas for a fortnight would only lead to a de-conditioning of the muscles that support his back. And teammate Billy Walters said the fact Haas continued to defy pain for the sake of his side just showed what an 'ultimate professional' he is. "He seems like he's only going at 50 per cent and he's still one of the best props of the game," Walters said. "I'm out there slugging away trying to be the best and I'm injury-free and can do nowhere near anything he does. He's a freak. He is a one-in-a-generation player and I am so glad he's on my team." RELATED: Damning stat about Latrell as Souths crisis sparks growing concerns Ricky Stuart's message to Newcastle after 'disrespectful' contract offer Stunning development for Cleary brothers as Luai under heavy fire Bulldogs star Connor Tracey cops worrying injury before finals The news is not so good for Canterbury's Tracey, with Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould revealing that the fullback could miss the rest of the regular season. Tracey played the entire 80 minutes and was a standout in Sunday's big win over Manly, but was sent to hospital after experiencing severe abdominal pain in the aftermath of the 42-4 win. Gould told Nine's 100% Footy on Monday night that Tracey had suffered an abdominal strain in recent weeks. And it's since emerged that Tracey has a problem with his 'inferior epigastric artery' that requires a full three weeks of rest before he can even start training fully again. "They were worried he would need surgery ... Apparently it's just the artery and doesn't need surgery, but he needs three weeks' complete rest before he can even get back into light training," Gould said. The Bulldogs have six games of the regular season remaining and will be desperate to see the fullback return for the finals. "That's only hopeful at the moment but it's bad luck for Connor and bad luck for the team," Gould added.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NRL world says same thing about Reece Walsh as teammate spotted in worrying scenes
NRL great Cooper Cronk summed it up perfectly after describing Reece Walsh's display in Brisbane's shock 22-20 loss to Parramatta as 'rocks or diamonds'. While a worrying late-game development for Payne Haas compounded the Broncos' woes as Michael Maguire's side saw their top-four hopes take a crushing blow on Friday night at Suncorp Stadium. Walsh thought he'd won an absorbing but scrappy encounter against the lowly Eels when he pounced on an error from Joash Papalii after a grubber kick from Gehamat Shibasaki in the final minute. But replays showed Walsh was in front of his teammate when the ball was kicked and the match-winning try was chalked off to leave Brisbane and their home fans shattered. It summed up a night to forget for Walsh, who put in another error-riddled display that also included some flashes of brilliance. Brisbane's superstar fullback was at fault for Parramatta's opening try to Sean Russell when he failed to diffuse a towering bomb from Mitchell Moses, who was outstanding in his return from injury and also set up a first half try to Zac Lomax with a pinpoint cross-field kick. Veteran Brisbane halfback Adam Reynolds ensured the home side took a slender lead into halftime though after taking an intercept and running some 80 metres to score. The Broncos captain also put Kobe Hetherington over the tryline with a crafty inside pass to give Brisbane a two-point lead at the break. Reece Walsh shattered after game to forget for Broncos Walsh had a second half to forget for the Broncos though and it was his sloppy pass that gifted the Eels possession and led to Lomax's second try. Moses - who returned from a calf injury he picked up in NSW camp before Game 2 game two of the Origin series - was again at the heart of it as his pass put Will Penisini into space to set up Lomax to cross out wide. RELATED: Jahrome Hughes forced to miss funeral for Storm teammate's father Unused camera angle that shows NRL world fooled by optical illusion With Brisbane chasing the game, Walsh took several poor options in attack that included a forward pass and an attempted 40/20 kick that went out on the full. But the superstar No.1 gave a stunning reminder of what he's capable of in an electric last-tackle player that saw him step through Parramatta's defensive line and set up Billy Walters for a go-ahead try. The Eels hit the lead again a short time later though when Josh Addo-Carr found space out wide and raced over for a milestone 150th try in the NRL. It set the stage for a grandstand finish but Walsh and the Broncos were ultimately left frustrated after the fullback strayed into an offside position off Shibasaki's grubber to cap off a rollercoaster game for the erratic No.1. Hobbling Payne Haas adds to Brisbane's pain To make matters worse for Brisbane, NSW Origin prop Haas could be seen limping badly at the end of the match. Maguire left Haas on the bench for 30 minutes in the middle of the match as he battled a lingering lower back complaint. But he came back on for the final stint, before suffering another possible injury that could have serious implications for Brisbane at the back-end of the season. "Payne is OK," Maguire said in his post-match press conference. But he suggested the superstar prop is feeling the effects of a long and gruelling season that saw him battling the back issue during the State of Origin series for NSW. "That's just his challenge at the moment to get himself right," the Broncos coach added. Reece Walsh ALMOST won it for the Broncos! 📺 Watch #NRLBroncosEels on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: BLOG MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 25, 2025 Only justice that Walsh was offside. After the game he had he didn't deserve to be the hero. The kid is good but needs to work on basic skills instead of the flashy things #NRLBroncosEels — Living The Dream (@DMiddy78) July 25, 2025 What are they paying Walsh again? He's a brilliant footballer but he is a mirror of what is everything wrong with the BroncoThey want to play pretty ball. They don't want to get in the grind and do it dirtyIt's why they'll remain disappointed every year #NRLbroncoseels — 91 03 21 22 23 24 PREMIERS 🐾🏆 (@SnoogThe) July 25, 2025 The whole gunslinger gimmick really isn't working out for Reece Walsh. The Broncos need a consistent, disciplined fullback, not someone who goes for the Hail Mary play 5 times a game. He needs to rein it in. #NRLBroncosEels — Adam Hayward (@adamkhayward) July 25, 2025 Was that 6+ mistakes by Walsh tonight. #NRLBroncosEels — Ghost of wawrence (@whereswawrence) July 25, 2025 with AAP
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
NRL 2025 LIVE updates: Moses returns as Eels take on Broncos in Brisbane
Latest posts Pinned post from 7.25pm Your say – Broncos or Eels? 7.25pm Team lists: How they'll line up Brisbane Broncos 1. Reece Walsh 2. Josiah Karapani 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Xavier Willison 9. Ben Hunt 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan. Bench: 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Corey Jensen 17. Jack Gosiewski Parramatta Eels 1. Joash Papali'i 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dean Hawkins 7. Mitchell Moses 8. J'maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker Bench: 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Luca Moretti 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivait 7.25pm Welcome Hello and welcome to tonight's coverage from the Broncos' clash with Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium. Loading Payne Haas is back for Brisbane while Mitch Moses makes his long-awaited return for the Eels, who are searching for a turnaround after three losses on the bounce. The Broncos have won five straight and are short-priced favourites here, though Parramatta very much have an eye on the future with the Newcastle-bound Dylan Brown again left out of the team. One big part of that future is young gun Joash Papalii, who shifts from five-eighth to his favoured position of fullback to cover for the injured Isaiah Iongi.
The Age
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
NRL 2025 LIVE updates: Moses returns as Eels take on Broncos in Brisbane
Latest posts Pinned post from 7.25pm Your say – Broncos or Eels? 7.25pm Team lists: How they'll line up Brisbane Broncos 1. Reece Walsh 2. Josiah Karapani 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Gehamat Shibasaki 5. Jesse Arthars 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 8. Xavier Willison 9. Ben Hunt 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan. Bench: 14. Billy Walters 15. Kobe Hetherington 16. Corey Jensen 17. Jack Gosiewski Parramatta Eels 1. Joash Papali'i 2. Zac Lomax 3. Viliami Penisini 4. Sean Russell 5. Josh Addo-Carr 6. Dean Hawkins 7. Mitchell Moses 8. J'maine Hopgood 9. Ryley Smith 10. Junior Paulo 11. Charlie Guymer 12. Jack Williams 13. Dylan Walker Bench: 14. Tallyn Da Silva 15. Luca Moretti 16. Matt Doorey 17. Sam Tuivait 7.25pm Welcome Hello and welcome to tonight's coverage from the Broncos' clash with Parramatta at Suncorp Stadium. Loading Payne Haas is back for Brisbane while Mitch Moses makes his long-awaited return for the Eels, who are searching for a turnaround after three losses on the bounce. The Broncos have won five straight and are short-priced favourites here, though Parramatta very much have an eye on the future with the Newcastle-bound Dylan Brown again left out of the team. One big part of that future is young gun Joash Papalii, who shifts from five-eighth to his favoured position of fullback to cover for the injured Isaiah Iongi.
