Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Players from rival NRL clubs fear the task of stopping Brisbane winning back-to-back titles just became a lot harder – because they now have the extra motivation of doing it for departing pair Adam Reynolds and Payne Haas.
Captains and senior players from all 17 clubs gathered on Tuesday morning at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair for the official 2026 season launch, and all were quick to pinpoint the Broncos as the biggest threat to their own team’s title dream.
Reynolds confirmed on Monday he would retire at the end of the season, while Haas is off to Souths in 2027 to play for Wayne Bennett on a three-year, $3.6m deal.
Penrith co-captain Isaah Yeo won four straight premierships, and entered every campaign spurred on by the knowledge one or two senior players would move on at season’s end.
“I feel like in the past the boys who leave, it’s a motivator for them to win – it normally gets the best out of them,” Yeo said. “So it’s a scary proposition thinking Payne has a little bit more motivation again.”
Bulldogs captain Stephen Crichton, who won three titles with Yeo at Penrith, agreed: “I’ve been in that position before where you want to make your last season the best; it will give Brisbane extra motivation.”
Souths-bound Payne Haas at Broncos training last week.Credit: Getty Images
Wests Tigers co-captain Jarome Luai, another former Panthers premiership winner, said: “The Broncos have kept the majority of their team, and there will be that extra motivation to win with the big boy [Haas] leaving.”
Manly’s skipper Tom Trbojevic added: “The way Brisbane finished last year, they’re the No. 1 contender, and with Payne leaving, he’ll also want to go out on a high.”
The Broncos flew to England late Monday for the World Club Challenge, and were represented at the launch by Billy Walters, who was confident Haas and Reynolds would make it their personal mission to bow out with successive premierships.
“They’re motivated more than anyone to leave the club on a high, and we’ll be doing everything to send them out back-to-back premiers,” Walters said.
Captains and senior NRL players gathered for the season launch in Sydney on Tuesday.Credit: Louise Kennerley
“It was a shock about Payne leaving. I’m sure it wasn’t a rash decision, and one he had thought about for a while. We’ll do nothing but support him and make sure he enjoys his last year before he starts wreaking havoc against us next year.”
Other players polled by this masthead also backed Penrith to bounce back strongly this year. The Panthers overcame a horror 2-6 start last season, and only bombed out in the preliminary finals to the eventual premiers after leading 14-0 at half-time.
Roosters skipper James Tedesco said the Panthers looked good with the same roster, while Parramatta counterpart Mitchell Moses said there was no way they would be as slow off the mark again.
“Penrith have a fair bit of improvement and will be better for that [late] run,” Melbourne captain Harry Grant said.
St George Illawarra’s Damien Cook liked the Roosters because of the form of tearaway Dally M winner Tedesco last year, while North Queensland back-rower Jeremiah Nanai was also impressed by the Chooks and the addition of Daly Cherry-Evans and Reece Robson. Kalyn Ponga tipped the Bulldogs to break through because of their consistency.
Haas’ move to Souths remained the biggest talking point among the players and officials.
Souths skipper Cameron Murray welcomed the arrival of his NSW Origin teammate, but backed the Bunnies to do something special this year.
As for Haas, Murray said: “Souths will be a good fit for him. He’s got a good relationship with the coach [Bennett], he respects him, he wants to play for him, and he’s got great mates in the team.
“I haven’t spoken to him about why he wants to be here, but he wouldn’t come to a place where he can’t see success happening. I get confidence knowing he wants to be here, and that he sees potential for success at this place.
“It’s a high-performance environment, an environment where we all care about each other, on and off the field; I’ve been lucky to call Souths home my whole life.”
