The Brisbane Broncos have officially confirmed Payne Haas has been ruled out of Friday night's highly anticipated Battle of Brisbane clash against the Dolphins at Suncorp Stadium with a shoulder injury.
In an official statement, the club has confirmed rehabilitation has commenced and will continue to be monitored in the coming days.
Nine reporter Ben Dobbin flagged the shoulder injury at the beginning of this week that the shoulder issue was more serious than Brisbane was letting on.
While it's thought Haas will still be able to return next week, the wording of the statement from Brisbane will no doubt raise some eyebrows as to what is happening for the prop who will join the South Sydney Rabbitohs next season in one of the more highly-anticipated free agency moves in recent years.
Haas being out this week means Xavier Willison moves to prop, with Brendan Piakura jumping into the second-row after returning from his own injury via the bench last weekend.
The timing is a blow for coach Michael Maguire, who will be without arguably the competition's best forward as his side looks to build momentum after defeating the Melbourne Storm in Round 3.
