‘I will be hunted’: Broncos monster Payne Haas’ plan to avoid second-year syndrome

Boom Broncos enforcer Payne Haas is coming off a stellar season for club, state and country last year, but is hungry to ensure he avoids the dreaded second-year syndrome.

Haas had only played three NRL games going into 2019 and finished the season as the Dally M Rookie of the year and Prop of the year.

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The now 20-year-old debuted for the Blues and Kangaroos in a breakout season, but knows that will make him a marked man when the revamped 2020 season kicks off against the Eels.

“Last year was a good year for myself, but this year I have to back it up again,” Haas told Foxsports.com.au.

“I don’t have to do anything out of the ordinary. I just have to work hard and keep working on my game and staying grounded.

“I should be sweet. I will be hunted a bit more, but I’m fine by that and I just can’t wait to play footy with the boys again.”

The Broncos were flying under the radar, but are now many experts’ dark horse for the title in a shortened season, where youth and exuberance will count for plenty.

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Haas has his own lofty goals for the Broncos who are targeting the top four and hopefully taking home a first Telstra Premiership title since 2006.

“At the end of the day we all want to win the premiership,” Haas said.

“I’m aiming to win one and being in the top four would be handy for our quest for a premiership. So winning a premiership is our main goal.”

Another goal for Haas is reclaiming his Blues jersey after he debuted in Game I of the 2019 series.

However injury ruled him out of the second game as Daniel Saifiti went on to help lead the Blues to a series victory upfront.

“Everyone wants to be playing Origin and playing for their State, but first and foremost it is about being the best I can be for my teammates at Brisbane,” Haas said.

“All that other rep stuff will come after that, so as long as I play good for them that other stuff will come.”

Like everyone in the NRL the 2020 season has been unique for Haas during the coronavirus pandemic.

However the gentle giant off the field has learned a lot from his time on the sidelines.

“One thing I learned from the shutdown period is that routine is key,” Haas said.

“You need routine in your life and if you follow routine in your life you will be sweet.

“To stay motivated I had could people around me in my family who keep pushing me. I went back down to the Gold Coast and dad trained me every day, so I stayed in good shape and motivated.”

Given his success last year, Haas could be forgiven for taking the foot off the gas, but he is not satisfied with any part of his game and knows that striving to get better is the only way to stay ahead of his rivals.

“I can still improve in all aspects of my game,” Haas said.

“I am adding a few things to my attacking game and I just keep working on my defence. For a middle defence is real important and in big games defence will win you the game.”

First up in the season relaunch the Broncos face a grudge match with the Eels, who knocked them out of the 2019 finals series with a record 58-0 thrashing.

Haas couldn’t hide his disappointment from that horror outing at Bankwest Stadium, but he says the team are using it as a positive in their 2020 campaign.

“We were really gutted not just myself, but the whole team,” Haas said.

“It was pretty embarrassing the way we went out last year. No one trains to be embarrassed like that.

“It has motivated us. I think this pre-season was the hardest pre-season we have ever had. It has motivated us for the year to show that we don’t play like that and we are a better team than that. I can’t wait to get started.”

One man who won’t be beside Haas when the season kicks off is fellow young gun David Fifita, who is on the sidelines with a knee injury.

However Haas is confident the Broncos have the depth to cover for the loss of their brilliant second-rower.

“We have strike all around the field, so even though David (Fifita) is a big loss we still have players who can fill that void,” Haas said.

“If one goes down we have other players who are ready to step up. We have great players all over the park.

“We just have to share the workload, so that no one has to do it by themselves and that is what is pretty special about our team.”

Haas identified two players that can help the Broncos’ push for the title after they came back from the break in devastating shape.

“One player that came back in great shape was Patrick Carrigan,” Haas said.

“He is one of the leaders of our team and he is only young, but if he keeps on going the way that he’s going he is going to get some rewards at the end of the year.

“Another one is centre Tesi Niu who is not playing this week, but he has been killing it at training and he is an absolute freak.

“He will get his shot in a couple of weeks hopefully, so he is one to watch.”