Payne Haas will keep his reasons for quitting the Broncos a secret after Brisbane boss Dave Donaghy declared the No.1 prop’s move to South Sydney had nothing to do with coach Michael Maguire.
Haas will make his 158th and final (for now) appearance for the Broncos in Thursday night’s clash with Canterbury in Sydney and has not been interviewed as part of Brisbane’s wide-ranging review into this year’s premiership collapse.
Haas, 26, will join the Rabbitohs next season on a three-year contract, reuniting with former Broncos coach Wayne Bennett.
The Rabbitohs’ pre-season poaching of Haas, widely regarded as the game’s top prop, has been labelled one of the biggest signings in NRL history.
Guarded and private, Haas has offered little public insight into his reasons for leaving the Broncos club he made his NRL debut for 2018.
Immortal Andrew Johns recently claimed Haas could provide the reasons for Brisbane’s fall from 2025 premiers to paupers.
But Haas said he had not been formally spoken to as part of the review.
“To be honest, none. I haven’t had any input in that,” he said.
When probed on whether he wanted to share his thoughts with the media, Haas said: “No, not really.”
Haas has previously given vague reasons for his departure, saying his decision was more to do with factors outside of the Broncos, and wasn’t keen to elaborate on Monday.
“I’ve answered this lots of times,” he said.
“I’m not going to say it again. I’ve already said my part and that’s it.
“I’ve explained why I’m leaving so I’m not going to go over it again.”
Maguire’s coaching methods and relationship with players has come under the microscope during Brisbane’s dramatic crash out of premiership contention.
Donaghy faced media at Red Hill on Monday and said he knew why Haas, Brisbane’s player of the year a record six times, was leaving the club.
“Yes, I am certainly clear. We’ve been clear on that a number of times this year and we’ve clarified that point,” he said.
“Payne’s expressed it a number of times, but we can’t stop conjecture on the outside. We’re really clear on the inside.
“From where I sit, I don’t have any concerns. I’ve spoken with Payne and his management. We’re really clear around that.
“Payne’s not leaving here because he doesn’t enjoy the program, doesn’t like the club, or doesn’t feel connected with the group. I can be really clear on that.
“I won’t go into detail around it. I’ll let Payne explain it if he wants to.
“But his legacy is evident. He’s been an amazing contributor to our football club and hopefully one day we might see him back in Broncos colours.
“The door’s always open to Payne. He’s wanted a change for a number of different reasons, which I won’t step outside our conversations to explain.”
A product of Keebra Park High School on the Gold Coast, Haas spent time in the Titans and Warriors’ systems before being poached by the Broncos when he was on the verge of committing to Melbourne.
He has developed into one of the game’s greatest ever forwards, playing 19 State of Origin games for NSW and representing the Kangaroos (four Tests) and Samoa (three Tests).
Warriors co-captain Mitch Barnett will join Brisbane next year, but Broncos stand-in skipper Pat Carrigan said he was shattered to be losing Haas.
“He’s one of my best mates,” he said.
“We started our journey together, but that’s life.
“We came in here as kids and we’ve been through a lot of adversity and grown both on and off the field together, so our relationship will extend long past these four walls.
“His legacy and the standards he’s set around the place, I can see that in all the younger boys, and that’s a testament to the mark he’s left on this place.
“In my opinion, he’s the best front-rower in the game, so I know it’s hard to replace that with one person.”