Haas has been close to unstoppable in the opening three rounds for Brisbane.
Barnstorming Brisbane prop Payne Haas says he’s still “building” towards peak performance after a disrupted pre-season, in what should be a terrifying thought for his NRL rivals. And Broncos teammate Ben Hunt says the Dolphins were one of the Queensland-based teams that tried to poach the veteran playmaker, before he ultimately decided to return to his former club.
Brisbane take on the winless Dolphins at their Suncorp Stadium home on Friday night but it will officially be an away game for Michael Maguire’s side, who go into the clash with a 2-1 record to start the season. Haas has been absolutely immense for Maguire’s men to start the new season and he was a deserved man-of-the-match in last week’s Queensland derby win over the Cowboys.
The Broncos prop put in an extraordinary 72-minute display that included 207 running metres from 22 carries, one try, 11 tackle busts, five offloads and two linebreaks. Unsurprisingly, the 25-year-old took out the maximum six Dally M Medal votes and now sits in second place behind Newcastle skipper Kalyn Ponga, in the battle to claim the NRL’s top individual honour as the player-of-the-season.
Haas has been a nightmare for opposition defences so far in 2025, and has really ramped up his offloading game to compliment his destructive qualities in attack and defence. Haas has always been renowned for playing big minutes and his hulking size, footwork and engine have made him arguably the game’s premier middle forward.
But the 25-year-old’s offloading in 2025 has added a dangerous new dimension and he already looks back to his devastating best after an off-season ankle operation. In a scary warning for his rivals though, Haas admits he is still yet to reach his peak levels of performance after the injury-hit pre-season.
“I had a pretty disruptive pre-season. I had surgery at the start of the year and that probably knocked me back a bit with my fitness,” he said. “I’m building myself up again.” And the 25-year-old warned the Dolphins that his men were desperate to avenge their 40-6 thumping in the same fixture in round 26 last year.
The Broncos are set to be boosted by the return of powerful centre Kotoni Staggs, who was close to playing last week after being sidelined with a hip flexor injury. It’s understood Staggs will replace Deine Mariner for Friday night’s showdown, with Gehamat Shibasaki to retain his spot at left centre.
“It’s probably one of the best games I’ve been a part of, to be honest,” Haas added about the derby against the Dolphins. “I remember in 2023 when we first had it and when Kotoni scored the winning try and the stadium was rumbling, so it’s honestly an honour to be a part of and I just can’t wait to be there.”
Ben Hunt says Dolphins showed interest in signing him
The match will be veteran playmaker Hunt’s first derby against the Dolphins, having rejoined Brisbane from the Dragons after last season. And the 34-year-old revealed that Kristian Woolf’s side showed some interest in signing him for this season but he already had his heart set on returning to the Broncos and there was nothing concrete.
“It wasn’t overly serious. They showed a little bit of interest but in the end, I just wanted to come back here,” Hunt said. “Pretty much it was about (my love for the Broncos). With everything they have given me early in my career, it was hard to not come back. It is going to be another massive game… the Battle of Brisbane and they will come ready to play. It will be a tough battle, so I’m looking forward to it.”
The Dolphins have squandered leads against Souths in round one and against the Tigers last week, and halves Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa have struggled to get the attack to click. Star fullback Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and hooker Jeremy Marshall-King have been underwhelming and the forward pack has lacked some punch, with former Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth admitting they also need to sharpen up in defence.
“We know what we are capable of but the Broncos have come out firing and we haven’t. We have to be stronger in defence and more clinical in attack,” Farnworth said. “We are slightly off but we have a lot of young lads with a lot of talent who are willing to work hard and have a big future in the game. I still have a lot of faith in this team.”
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