The agent of Brisbane Broncos star front-rower Payne Haas has addressed rumours linking his client with a surprising exit from the club.
Over the past few weeks, the rumour mill has been buzzing that Payne Haas wanted to leave Red Hill as the Broncos set their sights on poaching either Christian Welch from Melbourne or Reagan Campbell-Gillard, who is now a free agent after the Eels confirmed his departure.
The attempt to recruit Campbell-Gillard or Welch comes after the Broncos failed to reach the 2024 NRL Finals after making the 2023 Grand Final less than 12 months ago and being minutes away from clinching their first premiership since 2016.
One of the best forwards in the competition, Haas was being linked with an exit from Red Hill, which would have seen him follow Thomas Flegler, Kurt Capwell, Herbie Farnworth and Keenan Palasia out of the door and in the hands of rival teams.
However, Payne Haas’ agent, Ahmad Merhi, has subsequently shut down the rumours, revealing that they are 100 per cent incorrect and that he has never wanted to leave the Brisbane Broncos.
“Payne always gets a lot of media around him and there were rumours last week that he wanted to leave Brisbane, but that is the funniest thing I have ever heard,” his agent Ahmad Merhi told AAP.
“Don’t believe it. It is totally one hundred per cent incorrect. He has never wanted to leave Brisbane and there is no thought of him leaving.
“He has just bought a brand new property a walk away from the club and the training grounds.
“His family is settled. He has a young daughter and a little boy on the way. Payne has also taken two of his younger brothers on and they are living with him.”
As Haas remains clear on his future at the Broncos, he will unfortunately have to undergo surgery on a Lisfranc injury, which rules him out for the entirety of the 2024 Pacific Championships against New Zealand and Tonga.
It is a massive blow to Mal Meninga’s side, as the inclusion of the five-time Broncos Player of the Year would have played a crucial role in exacting vengeance against the Kiwis, who defeated them in last year’s final, keeping them to zero.
“Payne goes under the knife as early as today and will have a four-month recovery,” Merhi added.
“He should have had surgery four or five weeks ago but he opted to carry the injury to try and play semi-finals. That speaks to what kind of character he is.
“He hid it from me. When I found out I said, ‘what are you doing?’ but he wanted to carry on despite the pain because the club means so much to him.”
