With news of Payne Haas’ pending free agency sending shock waves around the NRL, SEN’s Mat Rogers believes a code switch is the biggest threat to the Brisbane Broncos' chances of retaining the superstar prop.
Haas and his management have reportedly rejected a three-year, $3.3 million deal with their eyes set on testing the star’s value on the open market come November 1.
The 23-year-old’s open interest in being paid the most amount of money possible led Rogers to believe that Haas could be enticed by a mega offer from Rugby Australia.
“There’s all this talk about if he’ll go to Melbourne, is it the Bulldogs?” Rogers said on SEN 1170 Sportsday.
“Another rugby league club is not the risk for (keeping) Payne Haas, it’s rugby union, that’s the risk, he’s not going to go to Sydney for an extra $150k, Melbourne aren’t going to pay over a million dollars for a front-rower.
“Rugby Union is the one that’s coming, why wouldn’t he just wait out and see what happens after the season finishes.”
Rogers was one of the most famous code hoppers in NRL history when he left the Cronulla Sharks in 2001 and enjoyed a six-year stint with the Wallabies before returning to the Gold Coast Titans in 2007.
The cross-code star also believes that the off-field noise surrounding his future has not affected Haas’ performances, proven by his man of the match showing in the Broncos Round 23 win.
“He’s got a finals series on the horizon, the Broncos could win the comp, who knows where his mindset is,” Rogers added.
“One thing I know is that this stuff is not distracting Payne Haas, on the weekend he ran for 219 metres, 90 of those post-contact metres, five tackle busts, 44 tackles no misses, he’s doing alright.
“He’s been through hell off the field with what he’s had to go through with his family, and he hasn’t missed a beat, he’s still been the number one front rower in the league.”
Despite rejecting the Broncos’ latest contract extension, Haas is likely to stay at Red Hill on a deal that would see him become the club’s highest-paid player of all time.