Parker: I'm not buying the "need for change" Haas take

Payne Haas defecting to the South Sydney Rabbitohs is "not about the money" and Corey Parker is at a loss when it comes to why the 26-year-old is leaving the Broncos.

The bombshell news that Haas will depart Brisbane at seasons end was confirmed by both clubs on Sunday with the cooling off period set to expire on February 18th.

Reports suggest Haas has agreed to terms on a three year contract with Souths on similar money to his current deal.

"I don’t know about him being unhappy, but this is from a guy who loves the Broncos and we were talking just recently about him being a potential captain of the club," Parker said on SENQ Breakfast.

"I just need to know why. Payne can do what he needs to do. But I need to know the why. Why leave a club that has won a competition?

"He started as a young kid, been terrific for the Broncos and he helped them win the championship.

"We have heard about the loyalty and the family and how they’re stable in Brisbane. We heard about possible R360 but then he doesn’t want to unsettle the family.

"The Rabbitohs are 15th! It’s not a money thing; he’s on $1.2-1.3 million with Brisbane. The offer is similar.

"We’re not accepting ‘I just need a change’. Penrith players moved for life changing money. That’s not what happening. He’s just won a comp, he has multiple players of the year and now you’re out? It’s caught me by surprise."

Parker and Ian Healy were joined by Courier Mail journalist Pete Badel who spoke with Wayne Bennett in the aftermath of the deal being confirmed.

Asked if he could see the 10-day cooling off period having an impact on this deal or if the Broncos saw this coming, Badel said: "This is one of the biggest signing stories in the last three decades. We’re trying to get to the bottom of it.

"The conspiracy theorists are saying is there a problem with Haas and the coach. Everything I have heard is that they get on great. Madge has always spoken so glowingly of Payne.

"I’m stunned that a player of 10 years has walked out on the premiers. The other question is about money….my information is the money is pretty much identical; this is not about money. Maybe it’s about resurrecting a great club that has been struggling.

"Payne is a very private bloke. Even players were blindsided. I will be surprised if Madge is singularly the issue. I do think we know the complexity around his family, his parents are in jail, and he’s taken his brothers as a custodian.

"I won’t be surprised if he wants a fresh start for his family under a coach, he has enormous respect for. The board at the Broncos were looking to talk about a one-year extension but also life after football. All the behaviours tell me the Broncos didn’t expect him to leave.

"The only club they were worried about was PNG because of the tax-free dollars. Souths were never on the horizon and that’s the mastery of Bennett.

"I spoke to Bennett this morning he mentioned nothing about get-out clauses. Wayne doesn’t play games. I don’t think there will be any backflips, I don’t think Brisbane can do anything to change this now. Payne has always bonded with Wayne.

"Wayne gets him better than few do. He will be a magnificent signing for that club."

Parker would continue to declare his surprise at the decision believeing that there must be more than just wanting a change.

“I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Payne,” he said.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside him and seeing him develop from an 18-year-old into the player that he is today, he’s an exceptional player.

“(He’s) exceptional (in) the way he’s able to carry himself and get through his business. Incredible durability.

“I think we saw that last year, 30 games he played last year right through to the Grand Final, played Test matches, Origin etc.

“He’s always been front and centre of the contract negotiations and the like and rightly so because he is so hotly contested. People want Payne at their club.

“You go back to…I think it was 2023, the whole situation came up in and around that his management were, ‘we want a million dollars or we’re going to leave’.

“And that eventuated in him being booed at Suncorp Stadium. Now, those boos quickly dwindled when you score tries or you start winning.

“Now, Payne Hass has come to the club, I think he played around 18 years of age. He’s been incredible in terms of his performances you know 8/10 most weeks.

“Six Paul Morgan Medal wins which has never been done at the club, so he’s certainly etched his name (in Broncos history).

“The big thing that escaped Payne was the elusive premiership, that he's worked so hard.

“It's been 20 years nearly in the making to get that premiership, they got it last year.

“Which I just find (out) all the things, if you look at, if you put all of Payne on the paper, you know, the family situation, the brothers that he loves and cares for, etc. at school, some stabilities, younger brothers just signed with the Broncos, from a development point of view, so many things that are happening.

“To then all of a sudden now…Payne has signed to go to the Rabbitohs.

“So I start to think, ‘well, I'm trying to think of the why’ and I just can't get the why,

“We're hearing that it just needs a change, but I'm struggling (to understand) and I've gotta be honest, I'm struggling to accept that that's the reason.

“So, as human nature, you start to think, well, is there something else?”

SEN regular Michael Carayannis broke the story via the Daily Telegraph on Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to SENQ, he lifted the lid on how he got the story.

"I had zero clue until my phone rang," he said. "My little one wasn’t sleeping so I was driving her around and I got a text saying ‘call me you will want this one’.

"It was around lunchtime (Sunday) when I first got the call I was wondering if they were having me on. My other contacts in the game said ‘that cant be right’.

"Whether the story smoked them out I’m not sure. They did so well to keep this under wraps. Both sides remain tight lipped because it sits in the 10 days cooling off.

"This is not a player going out on a big offer, Haas has elected to leave Brisbane. Something has changed. There were reports he was looking at a 12 month extension."