Powerhouse Broncos forward Payne Haas has requested an immediate release from his ongoing Brisbane contract, which the club denied on Wednesday evening, following a meltdown in negotiations over the star’s upcoming pay rise.
The news broke at lunchtime on Thursday, via the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Sporting Base can confirm Haas trained today at Red Hill but his role in Friday’s game against the Gold Coast Titans now has bold question marks floating around it. The front-rower would have packed his bags and walked out the front door earlier this morning if his release request was given the greenlight and that clash has yet to be resolved.
The relationship meltdown came after negotiations between Haas, his agent, and the Broncos bosses. The Blues star, 22, has been angling for a significant upgrade on his current $3 million deal, which is locked in to run until the end of the 2024 NRL season. Haas is earning around $750,000 this year, with that figure set to climb to a smidge under $800,000 in 2023 and bump up again—by a further $50,000—in the final year of the agreement.
The 22-year-old reportedly knocked back a $5.75m offer in July last year.
Haas and the Broncos both have yet to comment, but a source close to the forward of the Origin star’s future: “We haven’t thought about other clubs. Let’s be frank, the other 16 clubs would want him.”
