‘Payne will be a Bronco for life’: Kevin Walters confident Payne Haas will stay as rivals plot to lure star forward to Sydney

Canterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo says his club hasn’t even discussed trying to sign Brisbane star Payne Haas as his current coach Kevin Walters declared the representative prop would be “a Bronco for life” following revelations he’ll be testing his value on the open market.

Haas has developed into the best forward in the world since he made his NRL debut five years ago, with rival clubs set to offer him unprecedented contracts to lure him away from Brisbane when his deal expires next year.

Those discussions with rival clubs can begin as soon as November 1, but Walters is confident Haas, who has already tried once to exit the Broncos, is going nowhere.

“I believe Payne will be wearing a Broncos jersey for the next 10 years,” Walters said.

“We don't normally like to talk about contracted players, but I will say this about Payne. I believe he will stay a Bronco.

“We have a great environment here, Payne knows we want him to stay and Payne is also aware he loves being at the place.

“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.

“We will let things develop and unfold. He isn't playing for us this week (due to an ankle injury). He is having a spell, but we will get him back next week and we know that he gives his all for whichever jersey he has on.

“My thought personally is that Payne will be a Bronco for life.”

The Bulldogs are one club that will be in the market for Haas’ signature, although coach Cameron Ciraldo says they haven’t discussed it yet.

The bombshell announcement is exciting news for clubs like the Bulldogs who have plenty of cash to spend and are in desperate need of some quality forwards to bolster a squad that is full of potential.

The club has already been linked with several stars, including Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, and the Haas speculation will only grow louder once he’s allowed to negotiate with rivals in a few months.

“It’s not something we’ve spoken about right now,” Ciraldo said.

“We’re concentrating on the players we’ve got here and trying to get wins from week to week.

“We’ve got money to spend next year and we’re interested in quality players. He certainly fits that category, but right now we’re focused on our job against the Broncos and doing our best to get a win at Belmore.”

It’s fitting that the Bulldogs play the Broncos this weekend, although Haas will miss the match at Belmore because of an injury that ruled him out of Wednesday’s State of Origin clash in Sydney.

The game is already sold out with fans expected to get there early to cheer on club legend Josh Reynolds, who announced this week that he was retiring from rugby league.

“He’s such a special part of our group so the occasion isn’t going to be lost on our guys,” Ciraldo said.

“Everyone is really excited to make it a special day – not just because we’re at Belmore – but because of Josh. Even though he’s playing NSW Cup, we want to do our best to get the win for him and celebrate this occasion.”

The local junior played two grand finals for the Bulldogs and returned this year in a bid to teach the younger players about the club’s DNA, with the scenes on Saturday set to be similar to when he was chaired off the ground in 2017.

“From an outside perspective, you understand that Josh Reynolds is such an important part of this club, and then when you get here and understand what he means to the fans and members, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Ciraldo said.

“Everyone just loves him and loves what he’s about, they love what he means to the Bulldogs and how much effort and energy he plays with.

“Josh has had an impact over a number of years at this club, but this year in particular we were really keen to bring him back for what he could bring off the field.

“I’ve been really pleased with what he’s offered on the field because he was an important part of some of our earlier wins in the season, but he also guided Karl Oloapu at the start of his NRL career – Josh did an amazing job at that.”