Broncos forward is ready to step into the shoes of Haas

Payne Haas' time at the Brisbane Broncos is coming to a close at the end of this season, and rising forward Xavier Willison has placed the onus on himself to help fill the void of the departing star.

Notes as a key mentor for Willison, Haas sent shockwaves through the rugby league community last month when he signed for the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

However, Willison is set to make the most of the time Haas has left with the club, aiming to learn as much as possible from the player he considers the best in the game.

"When I first came here, I came from a union background, so he helped a lot and coming through last year, he helped a lot, but now I'm focused and sort of know what I need to do," Willison told the media.

"I've just got to keep doing what I do best, coming to training, ticking every box I can, working hard behind the scenes and let everything else do its dividends.

"Payne plays some big minutes, so I want to get my gas tank up a bit more so I can play big minutes and keep doing what I'm doing.

"I'll obviously still take tips off him this year, he's the best in the game."

Willison's work ethic and desire to mirror the impact of Haas have not gone unnoticed, with head coach Michael Maguire praising the young forward.

"He's pushing hard, he's doing well," Maguire said.

"The balance of our group at the moment is one thing, that's why we're sort of rolling with what we've got.

"But Big X is very capable now to push himself into that space.

"It's just getting the right balance.

"Sometimes one of the others might drop back, because of the ability of what we have now with the forward pack."

Willison will come off the bench for the Broncos this weekend as they take on the Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium.