Brisbane Broncos star prop Payne Haas has every intention of his future being at the club.
That's the clarification provided by his manager Ahmad Merhi after rumours on Saturday evening linked the star New South Wales Blues State of Origin prop to rival clubs.
It was reported by James Hooper on Saturday evening after Brisbane's loss to the Manly Sea Eagles at Brookvale that his manager had emailed all rival NRL clubs to gauge their interest in Haas, who is off-contract at the end of 2026.
Haas, who has once requested a release from the Broncos before and has made it clear he wants to play for a winner, is free to negotiate with rivals from November 1 for 2027, unless he re-signs with the Broncos between now and then.
His manager however told News Corp it was industry practice to send a list of clients' contract statuses to clubs monthly.
โAs part of standard industry practice, Sportsplayer Management distributes a monthly list to all NRL club recruitment staff outlining the contract status of the players we represent,โ Merhi said.
โThese lists are commonly circulated by all management teams representing NRL players and are intended to provide accurate, transparent information regarding when players come off contract and when discussions can formally commence under NRL rules.
โLast month's list includes 19 players โ one of whom is Payne Haas, who remains contracted to the Brisbane Broncos until the end of the 2026 season.
โContrary to recent media reports, we have not approached every NRL club to gauge interest in Payne, nor have we had any discussions with any club regarding him.
โAny suggestion to the contrary is incorrect. This month's list was distributed in the same professional manner as every other month, consistent with the standard processes followed by all player management companies across the NRL."
There is a feeling throughout the game however that Haas will not re-sign with the Broncos if he doesn't believe the club are a premiership chance.
Backing up from Origin 1 on Wednesday night - which he played after a limited preparation thanks to a minor quad tear suffered in the game before selection against the St George Illawarra Dragons - Haas was among the best for the Broncos, but couldn't inspire his teammates at Brookvale, with Michael Maguire's side slumping to their fourth consecutive loss.
The form of Brisbane will do nothing to slow down the rumours, and neither will his brother Klese Haas liking an Instagram post talking about the potential of Payne leaving Brisbane.
In a post on Sunday morning, Zero Tackle's Isaac Issa had taken to his page with a video surrounding the Haas news and the potential of him leaving Red Hill. Klese liked that video.
View this post on Instagram
The Haas brothers have expressed a desire to play in the same side previously, and while the like may be innocent, it could well poke at something more regarding the prop's future.
Klese, a second-rower at the Gold Coast Titans, is on contract with the club until at least the end of 2026, and has a player option in his favour for 2027.
That could leave Payne and Klese both negotiating their futures at the same time, and there is an easy link to suggest they could come to a club as a package deal, whether that be Brisbane, the Gold Coast - who have limited salary cap available - or somewhere else.
