“Madge was all in for NSW and Payne playing for NSW.
“He had a bad tear in his lateral quad, which is one that does recover quicker normally, but it was still a couple of weeks, best-case scenario. It was grade two, and we were shaving time off to get him ready in ten days.
“Laurie basically said, ’I want him ready at 8pm on Wednesday. We were pushing the envelope and taking a risk because if he gets injured in the first minute and has to come off, [it has a] massive effect on your rotations and your bench numbers.
“Payne, all the credit goes to him. When he came into camp, I asked him if he’d be right to play. He said ‘absolutely, yes’. No hesitation, nothing.
“I was watching Payne in the first 10 minutes. His power, speed, leg speed, contact, everything [had] so much effort … watching him keep going at the level he did, he was just incredible. He’s a very special athlete.”
Loading
Haas has long been regarded the game’s premier prop, but said he still had more growth to achieve. He was grateful for the win at Suncorp, an unhappy hunting ground for the Broncos the past two NRL matches.
“I wouldn’t say I’m at the top of my game, but I feel like I’m improving a lot, there’s still a lot of stuff to work on. I’m only 25, there’s a long way to go,” Haas said.
“We’ll enjoy the win now, enjoy going back to our clubs and working hard, then prepare for [game two] in Perth.”
While Haas was enormous, fellow front-rower Spencer Leniu was given the frostiest reception by the locals. When the Roosters forward was injected from the bench into the game after Brian To’o scored in the 28th minute, Leniu waited for the kick-off but Valentine Holmes kicked off to the other side of the field. Leniu threw his arms in the air in disappointment.
“I saw that on the big screen, and that’s ‘Spennie’, Haas said.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s so powerful – I haven’t seen anyone as powerful as him – and I’m happy he’s in my team.”
About The Author
