Gold Coast Titans forward Klese Haas has turned to his Brisbane Broncos superstar brother, Payne Haas, as he completes his full-time transition into the engine room ahead of the 2026 season.
Once viewed as a rising back-rower, Haas has embraced life through the middle and is adamant his future now lies as a frontline prop, shutting the door on any potential return to the edge.
The 23-year-old has quietly built an impressive body of work at the Titans, racking up 60 NRL appearances across the past four seasons, though only 10 of those have come as a starting prop or lock. That balance is now set to shift permanently.
Asked this week whether David Fifita's departure to the South Sydney Rabbitohs had reopened the door for a move back to the second row, Haas was emphatic.
"I'm not a back-rower anymore, I'm a middle," he told the Daily Telegraph.
With one of the game's premier forwards in his corner, Haas has leaned heavily on Payne's experience to fast-track his development in the role.
"Obviously, the roles are a lot different, but I've got Payne to talk to about it," Haas explained.
"He's someone really good I can chat to.
"He just said the middle is a grind, it's about how long you can go for.
"I'm lucky enough to share the genes that he has, so I feel like I'm pretty sweet in the middle."
The positional switch first emerged under Des Hasler, with incoming coach Josh Hannay wasting little time in making the move permanent during pre-season discussions.
"It was conversations before pre-season with Josh," Haas said.
"He felt my skill set was best suited for the middle, and I agreed with him, to be honest.
"It is a big change, but I feel like I'm well-equipped for it."
