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Broncos and Origin star held 'secret talks' with Rugby Australia over two years

By Kim Ekin
Payne Haas of the Broncos celebrates with team mate Reece Walsh of the Broncos after scoring a try during the round five NRL match between Brisbane Broncos and Wests Tigers at Suncorp Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Rugby league is dealing with revelations that Origin star and Broncos prop Payne Haas has been holding talks with Rugby Australia for over two years about a code switch.

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The news comes in the wake of the Suaalii blockbuster deal which will see the Roosters star switch codes in 2025 ahead of the British & Irish Lions series.

Haas is a former junior rugby union No 8 who is currently the Brisbane Broncos highest paid player, but a deal to switch codes back to rugby could net him more than his current deal of roughly $850k a season.

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Rugby Australia boss Hamish McLennan confirmed his interest in the NSW Origin star in an interview with NewsCorp with the prop coming off contract with the Broncos after 2024.

“Payne could definitely be wearing Wallaby gold,” McLennan told The Daily Telegraph.

“We really like Payne. He has a strong rugby pedigree and it’s probably time for him to spread his wings and do something really special.

“The Broncos are great — but playing for the Wallabies against the British Lions would be even better. By playing rugby, Payne can see the world.”

Haas is currently negotiating an extension with the Broncos and reports last month suggested they are prepared to make him the best paid player in the club’s history with over a million per season, topping a deal made for Anthony Milford a few years ago.

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But with Rugby Australia expressing interest the Broncos could be in a code war fight to retain one of their best players.

The 23-year-old weighs in at 118kg and is one of the best ball-carrying props in the game.

Should he become available for the Wallabies, Eddie Jones will have a similar No 8 to England’s Billy Vunipola, who was pivotal to England’s early success under Jones.

Former Brisbane Bronco Corey Parker admitted that the club may struggle to retain him if they have to fight off interest from rugby union.

“I don’t know what sort of money he would attract in rugby, but would he get more than he could get in the NRL? Maybe,” he said.

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“If he is a $1 million forward in league, Suaalii went to rugby for $1.6 million, so it’s pretty good coin.”

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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