The Broncos delivered a crushing blow, and Haas’s return date was prolonged.
Payne Haas of the Broncos will now likely need knee surgery, the team has confirmed, meaning he will be out for a long time.
The Brisbane star was originally scheduled to start on Thursday night against the Panthers. However, coach Kevin Walters announced on Wednesday that the player would be a late scratch and would instead see a specialist that afternoon.
The worst has now been confirmed, as Haas might miss up to six weeks, according to Broncos head of performance Dave Ballard.
Ballard stated, “Payne saw a specialist today, and it was determined that having an arthroscopy the following week was the best course of action for him.”
“We always prioritize the player’s long-term health, so even if Payne may miss a few games right now, we will still have a far better outcome when he returns with most of the season left to play.
“Recovery from this type of surgery can take up to six weeks, but we know Payne is always committed to his rehabilitation, so we don’t expect anything different this time.”
The Broncos’ prospects of exacting revenge for their grand final loss to the Panthers on the day of their rematch were severely damaged by the revelation.
Haas was unable to participate in the opposing sessions, but he was observed jogging on the sidelines at Red Hill during the team’s Wednesday morning Captain’s Run to assess the knee issue he suffered during last week’s victory over South Sydney.
There is no word on when the 24-year-old will make a return; to find out what to do, he should speak with an expert.
Kevin Walters, the coach, was hesitant to use him injured thus early in the season.
Walters did not think he would be sidelined for a long time because the initial scans did not reveal any structural damage.
Walters stated earlier in the day: “We always put our players’ health first and foremost, so we’ll take care of Payno and see how he’s doing this afternoon.”
Since it’s early in the season, we obviously don’t want to take that chance, but I genuinely thought he would play.
Xavier Willison will make his first NRL debut of the year from the bench as Fletcher Baker enters the starting lineup.
Nobody enjoys missing games, Walters said, especially Payne, who is arguably the most focused on the team and competitive, and who may feel as though he is failing the team when, in reality, he isn’t.
“He’s acting appropriately; we’ve taken him out to have it professionally examined, and he’ll be ready to go when the time comes. He is undoubtedly one of our most important players; all we need to do is make sure his injuries are under control before we play him when he’s fit.”
With Jock Madden filling in for halfback and captain Adam Reynolds due to a knee injury, the Broncos were already in disarray.
However, Walters thought he had enough players on his side to beat Penrith even without their star player, James Fisher-Harris.
Edge forward Brendan Piakura was asked about the grand final, and when the Brisbane mentor answered the question, he was quick to shout “20 dollars” from behind a media pack. The coach quipped that any discussion of it would immediately go toward the “Kevin Walters fund,” with his tab hitting four figures.
According to Walters, the content of the debate was the problem rather than the suggestion made by some players to forbid talking about their defeat to the Panthers in last year’s championship game.
He said that his unit might “100%” perform even better in 2024 by changing the tone.
I think the guys didn’t really understand what I was trying to say. We had not really made it to a grand final in seven years, but we experienced so many wonderful things as a team and a club in that game, according to Walters.
“While the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for, a lot of other positive things transpired for our team, including our players’ growth and my own as a coach are crucial to the success of our club here in the future, and we shall reap the rewards.”Tomorrow night, many of those benefits will become apparent.”
