TITANS’ NEW-AGE BROTHERHOOD
They carry noted surnames but Klese and Iszac are out to make a name for themselves, reports TRAVIS MEYN
THEIR brothers are State of Origin enemies but Gold Coast young guns Klese Haas and Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui have banded together to take the Titans into a new era.
The younger brothers of Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas and Gold Coast captain Tino Fa’asuamaleaui will pull on Titans jerseys for the first time in Saturday night’s trial against the Broncos at Cbus Super Stadium.
The Haas brothers were set to come up against each other before Payne was ruled out of the match with soreness.
Iszac won’t get the chance to play alongside Tino, who has been rested, but they might not be far off becoming a potent forward force for Gold Coast.
Iszac, 20, said he always looked up to his older brother and hoped to get his career back on track following three injury-plagued years.
“Nothing has changed (now Tino is captain), he’s still my brother, I just have to listen to him more now,” he said.
“He has always led me while we were growing up. Now he gets to do it for the whole team, it’s a proud moment for our family.
“I haven’t played much football over the last three years. I’m trying to get fitter and stronger in the gym. It’s been good training with the boys.
“I’ll put my best foot forward and see how I go. It’ll be a good learning curve and experience. I just want to enjoy it rather than being nervous and thinking about it.”
A middle forward like his brother, Iszac went to school and played junior footy in the Gympie region before following Tino to Melbourne as he kicked off his NRL career with Storm.
Tino has previously rated Iszac a better talent than himself and said he hoped his brother could crack the top grade following years of injury struggles.
“He has been one of our top trainers,’’ Tino said. “I’ve been really happy seeing how he is going; he is knocking on the door.
“He’s still got to do his time in (Queensland) Cup and hopefully be a consistent player against men. “We’ve got a lot of depth in our props. He’s got to keep chipping away and working hard. “Hopefully, he plays NRL soon. If not this year, then next year.”
Klese, 19, and Iszac are part of the Titans’ junior pathways system and are pushing their claims for full-time development contracts.
Klese came through the famed Keebra Park High School system like Payne but unlike his front row-playing brother, Klese is an edge back-rower with crafty footwork and ability to find the try line. Klese said he was trying to avoid the hype of playing against Payne and he had enjoyed his first pre-season with the Titans’ top squad.
“It’s been really tough but great learning off all the boys like Tino, David (Fifita) and Kevvie (Proctor),” Klese said.
“I’m not thinking about too much. It’s just a game of footy and he’s another player out there. Nothing has changed.
“We’ve been speaking about it being a game of footy. We are not going out there as just me and him. It’s Gold Coast versus Brisbane.
“I just want to see where I’m at with the NRL boys.”
While Tino and Payne famously went toe-to-toe during the 2020 State of Origin series, their younger brothers have struck up a close bond at the Titans.
Coach Justin Holbrook (pictured left) has been impressed with what he’s seen and said Iszac carried a lot of his brother’s traits.
“He is an unbelievable trainer; exactly like Tino,’’ Holbrook said. “He hasn’t played a lot of rugby league.
“He’s only played about 10 games over three or four years.
“It’s going to be a slow development phase for him.
“I don’t want anyone to expect to see another Tino running around tomorrow night. He’s got to have a big development year. It’s good to get him a game and out on the field.”
An Origin and Test star, Payne Haas has developed into one of the NRL’S premier props with his incred
ible fitness and work ethic. Holbrook said Klese was more of an explosive threat on the edge and he was looking forward to seeing him in Titans colours.
“He has a great work ethic and is really excited to get a run,” he said.
“Klese is different to Payne, who plays in the middle and can play 80 minutes. Klese is an edge back rower who could possibly play centre. He is not the same style of player as Payne.
“He’s got footwork and skill which is great. He’s worked really hard and gets an opportunity to play for us.”