‘It’s God’s plan to give me all of this’
MONSTER NSW forward Payne Haas has credited former NRL star and devout Muslin Sonny Bill Williams for the life counselling and support he offered during his conversion to Islam.
“This is God’s plan – to give me all of this,” Haas said.
Chosen to make his Origin debut after just 10 NRL games, Haas who stands 194cm tall and tips the scales at 119kg, is ready to terrorise Queensland in the series opener in Brisbane tomorrow week.
But there is an ever larger influence in Haas’s world – his religion. “I didn’t have a religion before and felt like I was going on the wrong path, toward the end of last year,” Haas said.
“I felt like I needed a change and I went to Islam, I found it and it has taught me a lot. It has shown me God has a plan for everything.
“I just think Islam made sense. I know people who are Muslim too. I rely on it a lot. I don’t rely on it to play well but I know God will be protecting me out there.
“I speak to Sonny, he’s a real good brother of mine. He is always messaging me and making sure I’m aright. He has good guidance for me.”
Haas said he befriended Williams through a phone message.
“I am now learning off one of the best ever, how to do it,” Haas said. “He gives me life advice. He told me I should just be myself and not change for anybody.”
Haas has struggled physically through the fasting month of Ramadan, which ends next Tuesday. He has been rising early to eat and then refuelling late at night.
“I get to eat in the mornings and fill up and then have a pretty big feed at night,” he said. “It’s going pretty good and it’s nearly done.
“I wouldn’t say it was a sacrifice but I’d say it’s a month where you get closer to God. It’s a blessed month for all us Muslims. I eat oats at breakfast or protein, something that gives you slow releasing energy. I drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. I was up at 4.30 this morning.”
Haas’s selection is among the most extraordinary in Origin history. Just 19, Haas always wanted to be a Blue – but could easily have been a Queenslander. He was born in Sydney’s Paddington but moved to Queensland at 13.
He spent time at Keebra Park State High before his stunning rise with Brisbane. Had his family shifted north three months earlier, under NRL rules, he would have been eligible for Queensland.
“I can’t ever imagine myself in a maroon jersey,” he said. “I’m a Blue. I always wanted to play for NSW.”