โMadge was all in for NSW and Payne playing for NSW.
โHe 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.
โLaurie basically said, โI 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.
โPayne, all the credit goes to him. When he came into camp, I asked him if heโd be right to play. He said โabsolutely, yesโ. No hesitation, nothing.
โI 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. Heโs a very special athlete.โ
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Haas has long been regarded the gameโs 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.
โI wouldnโt say Iโm at the top of my game, but I feel like Iโm improving a lot, thereโs still a lot of stuff to work on. Iโm only 25, thereโs a long way to go,โ Haas said.
โWeโll enjoy the win now, enjoy going back to our clubs and working hard, then prepare for [game two] in Perth.โ
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 Toโo 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.
โI saw that on the big screen, and thatโs โSpennieโ, Haas said.
โHe wears his heart on his sleeve. Heโs so powerful โ I havenโt seen anyone as powerful as him โ and Iโm happy heโs in my team.โ
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