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Haas recovers to tee off against Cowboys legend
Joel Gould, AAP •  August 29th, 2025 2:37 pm
Payne Haas | Photo: AAP
Payne Haas has recovered from illness and is set to tee off against Jason Taumalolo in the first of two blockbuster forward showdowns between the pair in the next two months.
Brisbane prop Haas and North Queensland counterpart Taumalolo clash in Townsville on Saturday night as the Broncos aim to keep their top-four hopes alive.
On October 26 at Suncorp Stadium, the pair will go head-to-head in an international showdown for the ages. It will be Haas in his first game for Samoa up against Tongan legend and co-captain Taumalolo on that occasion.
Broncos coach Michael Maguire said Haas had "a sniffle" but was "ready to go" against the Cowboys.
Haas hit the golf course with several of his teammates on the team's day off on Thursday, well recovered from the illness that kept him away from his teammates on Wednesday.
He doesn't have an official handicap but likes to hit them long. There are no handicaps with the way he plays either and long minutes are his forte.
This year the 25-year-old has added extra dimensions to his play and is using more clubs in his bag.
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Official NRL statistics show Haas already has 57 offloads for the season in 19 games, the most in one season in his career with two rounds to go.
He also has 106 tackle breaks and is on track to at least match his all-time best for a year of 113 in 2023.
Haas has always looked up to Broncos legendary prop Glenn Lazarus and is having the same kind of impact.
"Payne knows himself that he can improve. That's the part of the game that he is challenging himself on," Maguire said.
"We have probably changed a little bit of the style with how Payne can play the game. This is just the improvement for Payne.
"Through the Origin period he was challenged with his body. He has got a role that he plays and that has been really shown over this past month.
"Each player complements the other. The forward pack working hard for each other allows Payne to play his part as well."
Haas, when speaking about his own decision to represent Samoa in the Pacific Championships, said Taumalolo was a huge inspiration behind his decision when the Cowboy switched international allegiance from New Zealand to Tonga.
Taumalolo has had an injury-hit season but was on fire in last week's 34-28 win over Wests Tigers.
The Cowboys and Broncos have a fierce rivalry and despite their opponents being out of the finals race, Maguire expects a torrid affair.
"We respect whoever we are playing," Maguire said.
"They have got plenty of experience and players who have played at the highest level and these two teams have clashed with each other for many a year, so they are always good games to be part of."
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