Payne Haas’ management want their star client paid $1 million per season but whether he’s worth that much has divided rugby league pundits.
Cowboys enforcer Jason Taumalolo and Titans wrecking ball David Fifita are the only forwards in the NRL on $1 million a season.
Haas has played 64 NRL games since debuting with the Broncos in 2018 and made seven appearances for the Blues and two for Australia.
The 22-year-old is in line to earn $798,000 in 2023 and $848,000 in 2024, but his management wants those figures “bumped up”, according to reporter Danny Weidler.
Rugby League Phil Gould supremo argued against Haas being worth $1 million dollars.
“If I’m going to pay a player a million dollars, he’s winning you 60-70 per cent of games. That’s what I see as a million-dollar player,” Gould said on 100% Footy.
“When you’re paying particularly a forward that sort of money, I don’t see how (Haas) wins you that percentage of games to justify the cost.”
But Weidler disagreed with Gould and then doubled down on Big Sports Breakfast on Tuesday. “I had an argument with Gus last night I said that he’s probably worth $1 million a year. I think on the open market he would get that,” Weidler said.
“Whether he’s worth or not to the Broncos that’s going to remain to be seen.
“If he was to go on the open market tomorrow I think he would have no trouble earning a million dollars a year, no trouble when you consider David Fifita’s on $1.2 (million), Jason Taumalolo’s on a million and I know that’s big money for a forward but I don’t know if there’s a better forward in the game than Payne Haas.
“I don’t know whether you could pick him up for less than a million and if they don’t get the million a year, given the market value they consider him to be I think there could be a problem for the Broncos, I think that they’ll have a disgruntled player on their hands and who knows where that could go after that.
Former NSW coach and rugby league great Laurie Daley believes the Broncos are at risking of losing Haas.
“I think the Broncos will have to do some really good dealing there because otherwise they’ll be at risk of losing him,” Daley said.
“Some clubs he would be yeah most definitely.
“Some clubs would be able to pay him a million and some clubs would pay him a million. There’d be other clubs that wouldn’t be prepared to pay that much given some players they have on their roster and they try to fit people under their salary caps.
“Melbourne for instance, they wouldn’t pay a million dollars for Payne has because they’ve got Harry Grant’s and Papenhuyzens, Jarome Hughes so their priorities are in a different area where some other teams would be looking for a front rower, a young front rower who’s got his best foot forward in front of him and they would pay him a million dollars.”
Source: foxsports.com