NRL premiers Brisbane have ramped up their efforts to keep Payne Haas as Broncos legend Petero Civoniceva conceded it would be difficult to ignore the riches of R360.
Haas is reportedly close to signing a mega deal with the rebel competition worth up to $3 million a season, a number that could potentially creep closer to the $5 million mark once tax incentives come into play.
The Broncos’ current Haas deal is worth in the ball park of $1.2 million per season.
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Brisbane has no way to counter the kind of money being waved around but the club has reminded the NSW star that any extension he signs with the Broncos would include a career post-football.
Payne Haas shares an embrace with Ben Hunt and Corey Jensen after winning the decider. NRL Photos
“Certainly when you get offers thrown around of that scale, you definitely have to consider it,” Broncos great Civoniceva told 9News when asked about the potential for Haas to defect.
“But if you love the game of rugby league, acknowledging what rugby league has done for you, it’d be great to see players like that stay within the game.”
Haas has been free to negotiate with rivals since November 1, with 2026 the final season on his current deal.
Fronted by former England rugby union centre Mike Tindall, R360 is due to launch in October next year and is actively tabling big-money offers to top rugby union and rugby league players.
It hopes to establish eight men’s teams and four women’s teams who will compete in a condensed season format in grand prix-style events around the world.
When R360 goes public in a few weeks, it would reportedly like to announce Haas as one of its marquee signings.
However, Haas faces a 10-year NRL ban if he signs with the rebel league.
The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) said any NRL player negotiating or signing an agreement with a “football competition, league, or organisation not recognised by the ARLC as a national sporting federation” would be banned for a decade.
“The commission has a clear duty to act in the best interests of rugby league and its fans and we will take all necessary steps to protect the future of the game,” ARLC chairman Peter V’landys has said.
Ryan Papenhuyzen is rumoured to be one of the players set to sign with R360. Getty
“Unfortunately, there will always be organisations that seek to pirate our game for potential financial gain. They don’t invest in pathways or the development of players, they simply exploit the hard work of others, putting players at risk of financial loss while profiting themselves.”
In a statement, R360 co-CEO Mark Spoors said the league had anticipated pushback.
“History shows that when athletes are offered free choice and given fresh opportunities for them and their families then threats to those sportsmen and women follow,” he added.
“R360 is about empowering players, giving them, rugby lovers and the next generation of fans opportunities and new platforms to enjoy the sport we love.
“We know there is much interest in understanding more about the global series we’re building. We remain on plan and look forward to sharing and discussing the detail in the coming months.”
Rugby governing bodies in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Italy issued a joint statement ruling that players who defected to R360 would be ineligible for international selection.
The unions said R360 had given no indication as to how it planned to manage player welfare or how the competition would co-exist with the international and domestic rugby union calendars.
R360 responded to the unions by saying it wanted to work within the existing global rugby union calendar and that easing the workload for players was one of the key reasons for creating the global series.
– with Reuters