South Sydney have heralded Payne Haas as arguably the best rugby league player on the planet after confirming he would join the club next year from Brisbane.
Haas’ impending move to the Rabbitohs had already been confirmed by his agent and the Broncos. However, Souths wanted to make sure the deal was fully in place before announcing one of the biggest signings in club history.
That day has now arrived, with the club revealing he had signed for 227 and 2028 with an option for another year in 2029.
Brisbane initially said they would fight to keep Haas after this masthead revealed more than a week ago that he had agreed to join Souths.
However, when it became clear that he was committed to the Rabbitohs, the Broncos waived the 10-day cooling off period, paving the way for Souths to go public with his signing.
Rabbitohs head of recruitment and retention Mark Ellison said Haas’ recruitment was a coup for the club.
“To put it simply, Payne is one of, if not the best player on the planet today, and we are very excited to see him wear the famous red and green jersey over the next three seasons and beyond,” Ellison said.
“His performances are always at the elite level, typified by his displays of endurance, courage and leadership.
“Payne has a longstanding relationship with Wayne (Head Coach Wayne Bennett) and has played a lot of football with future Rabbitohs teammates such as David Fifita, Cameron Murray and Latrell Mitchell.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming Payne and his family to the Rabbitohs for the 2027 pre season and we wish him the best of luck for this year with the Broncos, New South Wales and the end-of-season World Cup.”
Haas is an international, State of Origin and premiership-winning front rower that has won a multitude of Dally M, NSW Blues and club awards since making his debut in 2018.
His manager Ahmad Merhi confirmed last week that Souths coach Wayne Bennett was the driving force behind Haas’ decision to move to Souths at season’s end.