Brisbane Broncos coach Kevin Walters believes Payne Haas will not leave the club.
Haas dropped a bombshell on the Broncos this week, with his management reportedly revealing they will test free agency from November 1, per a News Corp report.
The Broncos have been keen to tie down Haas and were trying to throughout the first half of last year before Haas asked for an immediate release.
The club denied that request and eventually convinced Haas the right move was to stay at Broncos, with money and the competitiveness of the club playing a part.
The Broncos are in a much better spot this year and look all but certain to play finals football, which is believed to be a driving factor behind Haas' contract calls.
It's understood multiple clubs will express interest in Haas from November 1, although his asking price will likely be north of $1 million per season.
Haas has had expressions of interest already from outside of the NRL, with rugby union both in Australia and abroad coming knocking. Rugby Australia wants to lock him up from 2025 to play for the Wallabies at the World Cup.
However, Walters said he believes Haas will stick with the club for ten years.
โWe don't normally like to talk about contracted players, but I will say this about Payne. I believe he will stay a Bronco," Walters said after the club's captain's run ahead of their trip to Belmore to play the Canterbury Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
โWe have a great environment here, Payne knows we want him to stay and Payne is also aware he loves being at the place, so I'm sure between both parties we can get an agreement that suits both parties. We are comfortable with what Payne is doing. Out of respect to Payne and his management, they have every right to do that [test the open market]. We are comfortable with their position.
โMy thought personally is that Payne will be a Bronco for life.
โWe will let things develop and unfold.
"He gives his all for whichever jersey he has on, and I believe he will be a Bronco for the next ten years."
Haas, who is with new management, is believed to want to stay in Brisbane if the competitiveness of the club and the details of his contract work out with acceptable terms.
