Kevin Walters suggests there’s more to Haas’ exit

Exiled Brisbane coach Kevin Walters has given his own thoughts on the shocking Haas departure from Brisbane, adding fuel to the fire that something else has gone on behind the scenes.

Walters served as head coach of the Brisbane Broncos from 2021 to 2024, guiding the club to a premiership runner-up finish in 2023 before being dismissed just a year later after the team failed to reach the finals.

Speaking on the Inside Ball podcast, the former coach suggested things may have unfolded very differently had he still been in charge.

"Yeah … but I'm not coaching there," Walters replied when questioned on whether he could've kept Haas at the Broncos.

"If I were coaching in the NRL, he would be one of the first players I would target, so hats off to Wayne Bennett. He has fallen in his hands, it's great for the Souths fans."

Walters shared that he has been in contact with Haas post the bombshell announcement.

"I haven't spoken to him, I've only texted him," Walters said.

"He is OK. There is a fair bit of stress on everyone, but he is OK.”

Haas's move to the South Sydney Rabbitohs under master coach Wayne Bennett has been framed by many as a homecoming of sorts, given Bennett's history with the elite forward.

However, Walters isn't entirely convinced the reasoning behind Haas's exit was so straightforward.

"It is puzzling why he has left. I don't think it was about money, so what was it about? We are probably never going to know.”

"He bleeds Brisbane. It's just one of those mysteries. Some of the South's players thought it was April Fool's Day.”

"It will never be revealed the exact reasons; it will just stay underwater."

Walters also pointed to the broader context surrounding the Broncos' recent success, questioning why a club riding a wave of premiership contention would allow its biggest asset to walk away.

"Normally, when your club wins a premiership, and they have been to two grand finals in three years, the value of your players rises; it's constantly rising with the salary cap, and you are constantly under pressure to keep players.

"But Payne Haas is the peg in the ground, a long-term player. If you have Payne Haas in your stable, you do not lose Payne Haas.”

"He is the world's best prop and anyone who wants to argue that doesn't know rugby league."