The Brisbane Broncos forward has silenced any doubters about his ability.
Payne Haas showed on Friday night why he is the best forward in the game right now with his next contract looming to prompt a bidding war, while Todd Payten would be concerned with some worrying signs in the loss. Haas produced one of the all-time great forward performances on Friday night having played for 71 minutes, run for 210 metres, made 36 tackles and produced five offloads.
He then capped off his performance with a stunning solo try having burst through a gap left by Reuben Cotter and blitzed his way past Scott Drinkwater. The prop didn’t even need to barge over his opponents as his fleet feet carried him to the try line in a jaw-dropping performance.
Haas produced his best game for NSW last year in Game 3 in State of Origin and has not looked back since having improved as a player in 2025. “For me is the number one prop in the game at the moment and he has been for a while now,” Nathan Hindmarsh said on Triple M Radio after the performance. And after his latest display speculation is building around the star’s next contract.
The 25-year-old is off contract at the end of 2026 with the Broncos and has yet to confirm his future. And while the Brisbane Broncos will be desperate to retain the prop, there will be no shortage of clubs throwing the cash at Haas.
And with the latest NRL TV deal appearing to be lucrative, salary caps will increase in the coming years. This could see Haas demand a boosted contract at the Broncos or elsewhere. Haas signed a three-year deal with the Broncos, worth around $3.5 million, in 2023.
At the time, this made him the highest-paid Broncos player in history. But the roughly $1.1 million a season deal most likely won’t be enough to keep the prop settled. Dylan Brown just signed a 10-year, $1.3 million a season, deal with Newcastle with many questioning whether the five-eight is worth the money. But few could disagree that Haas is worth more than $1.3 million, even if he won’t attract a 10-year deal.
The Roosters are one team with plenty of space in their salary cap and won’t be afraid to make a big offer. The Broncos will be cautious of their salary cap with the likes of Reece Walsh, Patrick Carrigan and Ezra Mam all recently signing on boosted contracts. But just like the Broncos did with Walsh, they will move quickly to sign the prop to a boosted deal before he is allowed to speak to other clubs on 1 November.
Todd Payten facing worrying Cowboys issue
While the Cowboys certainly displayed more grit and determination in the 26-16 loss to the Broncos, their defensive efforts with 10 minutes to go will be questioned. In particular, it was Cotter and Jason Tuamalolo’s efforts for Haas’ try that have come under criticism.
