Maguire breaks silence on reason for losing Haas

Brisbane Broncos head coach Michael Maguire has spoken for the first time after it was announced that representative prop, Payne Haas, would be departing the club at the end of the season to join South Sydney.

The Rabbitohs have officially signed Haas for seasons 2027, 2028 and 2029 following the waiver of the cooling-off period.

When speaking with The Daily Telegraph, Maguire denied any bad blood between himself and Haas, citing the reason for his movement being purely a family matter.

“It's very much about his family. I have a great relationship with Payno, and we all live different lives and circumstances," Maguire said.

“Payne felt at the time he wanted some more support around him with his family and that's ultimately what he spoke to me about.”

Although the announcement came as a shock to the premiership-winning coach, Maguire can confirm his relationship with Haas is still strong.

“You never want those sorts of things to happen, but everyone's moving through a period of what's right for where they are at," Maguire said.

“I have been able to share some of the most incredible things with Payne. One, with the NSW team where we did something special there, and then obviously last year with the premiership.

“You always want a player like Payne to be here forever. But the reality is, everyone has their thoughts and feelings about what they want to do for the future.

“One thing I do know is that Payne is with us for the next 12 months. I love coaching him, and we all love having him here.”

The South Sydney Rabbitohs have made it clear that the signing of Haas will be a key part of their club's future, welcoming the 26-year-old with open arms.

Rabbitohs Head of Recruitment and Retention, Mark Ellison, expresses his enthusiasm for the signing.

“To put it simply, Payne is one of, if not the best player on the planet today, and we are very excited to see him wear the famous red and green jersey over the next three seasons and beyond,” Ellison said.

“His performances are always at the elite level, typified by his displays of endurance, courage and leadership.

“Payne has a long-standing relationship with Wayne (Head Coach Wayne Bennett) and has played a lot of football with future Rabbitohs teammates such as David Fifita, Cameron Murray and Latrell Mitchell.

“We're looking forward to welcoming Payne and his family to the Rabbitohs for the 2027 pre-season, and we wish him the best of luck for this year with the Broncos, New South Wales and the end-of-season World Cup.”

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