Payne Haas Standoff: Broncos Patient Amid Record-Breaking {R}360 Rugby Union Offer

💰 The future of Brisbane Broncos superstar prop Payne Haas remains the hottest topic in NRL circles as the club battles a monumental financial lure from the new, Saudi Arabian-backed rival rugby union competition, \text{R}360.

Haas, widely considered the best prop in the game, is off-contract at the close of the 2026 NRL season. While reports suggest the star harbours no personal interest in joining a rival NRL club, the audacious \text{R}360 offer is a game-changer: a staggering $3 million per year, potentially tax-free depending on the location of residency.

Broncos Hold the Line

The Red Hill-based club, fresh off securing their first premiership since 2006, is determined to retain their franchise player. Haas is already on a seven-figure salary, and despite the club’s stretched salary cap, securing a small upgrade for him is understood to be achievable.

Speaking on SEN Radio, Broncos CEO Dave Donaghy stressed that the club is taking a measured, respectful approach and is unwilling to pressure the star with an arbitrary deadline.

> “We haven’t put a deadline on that,” Donaghy said. “For both us and Payne as well, we’ve got enormous respect for each other, so we’ll keep having those discussions behind closed doors when he comes back from his break.”

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The Lure of Money and a Looser Ban

The speculation surrounding Haas’s future is not new; the prop famously requested a release a few years ago before eventually recommitting. Having now achieved his stated ambition of winning a premiership with the Broncos, the massive financial incentive from \text{R}360 could prove highly persuasive, particularly given Haas’s public identity as a dedicated family man.

The situation is complicated by the NRL’s firm stance against player poaching. Haas is expected to sit down with Australian Rugby League Commission Chairman Peter V’Landys upon his return from leave. A ten-year ban from the NRL still looms over players who make the switch to the rival rugby union competition.

However, the recent releases of high-profile players like Ryan Papenhuyzen (Melbourne Storm) and Zac Lomax (Parramatta Eels)—both of whom are considering \text{R}360 among their options—suggest the league may be softening its hardline stance, or at least facilitating exits under certain conditions.

The decision facing Payne Haas is arguably one of the biggest in recent NRL history, forcing him to choose between a comfortable, premiership-winning future with the Brisbane Broncos and a generational, tax-effective fortune overseas.