HOUSE OF PAYNE
Keebra junior won’t take it easy on Titans
TOWERING teen Payne Haas has revealed his ambition to become a Bronco for life as the prop sensation tonight returns to the Gold Coast to inflict more misery on his former Titans club.
Statistics provided by Fox Lab show the 19-year-old Haas is on course to make history as the youngest forward in the NRL’s 21-year existence to run for the most metres in a single season.
Former NSW Origin prop Mark O’Meley amassed 2960 metres at age 20 with the Northern Eagles in 2001, but Haas already has 2169m this season heading into tonight’s derby at Cbus Super Stadium.
If he maintains his average of 166m per game over the final six weeks, Haas will become the first forward under the age of 21 in NRL history to post 3000m in a season. Those numbers illustrate his rare talent and why it was considered one of the great retention blunders when Haas quit the Titans in 2015 after Gold Coast junior coaches banned him from playing for his school side Keebra Park High.
The Broncos duly swooped and have since signed Haas to a mega sixyear deal. The 118kg enforcer will be 24 when he comes offcontract at the end of 2024, leaving him up for grabs in his prime years.
“I just want to give back to the Broncos now,” Haas said.
“I copped a bit of criticism last year, some people say I didn’t deserve that big contract but I’m not playing for other people, I’m here to pay back the Broncos for their faith and I will keep improving and give the Broncos fans everything they deserve.
“I left the Titans because of personal issues.
“Me and my family had some personal issues with them and I couldn’t see myself there long term.”