Wayne Bennett, Sun Tzu, and the meaning of ‘True Blue’: How Payne Haas became a leader

Melbourne: Payne Haas has credited a Queensland Origin legend for helping him tap into his leadership qualities – and it could come back to haunt the Maroons on Wednesday night.

The return of star prop Haas from a knee injury will provide a huge boost to NSW’s bid to wrap up the series in Melbourne.

The 26-year-old knows he is entering the prime of his career as a front-rower – but also thanked former Broncos coach and Queensland great Kevin Walters for forcing him to become a leader of men, which was one of the last parts of his game open to improvement.

“I never thought of myself as a leader, and it was only the last couple of years or so I’ve taken on that responsibility a bit more – being that leader has actually helped my footy,” Haas told this masthead.

“I was a bit of an introvert growing up. Being in a Polynesian household, when you’re young, you don’t talk, it’s only the elders who talk.

“I hated being a leader or in any leadership groups, to be honest. I just wanted to go about my business on the field.

“But it was Kev, when he was coaching us at the Broncos, who called me in one day and told me he wanted more from me as a leader. He wanted me talking more, and he got that out of me.

“Now I’m 26 years of age, I’d like to think I’m doing that more. I also feel like the experiences I’ve had, on and off the field have helped me a lot.”

Walters said of identifying Haas’ leadership skills: “You like to encourage players to be the best version of themselves they can be. I just love watching him play. He’s the best prop in the game.

“Even to do what he’s done the past couple of games, coming back from a knee injury, it’s quite amazing. As a Queenslander, I’m fearful of him because I know how damaging he can be as a middle forward, especially at the start where the Blues have lost it a bit. He’ll get them off to a good start, that’s for sure.”

Haas sounded every bit the leader in an interview with ABC Sport after the Broncos’ recent loss to St George Illawarra. “We keep on saying we are going to do all these important things on the field,” Haas said, “but to be honest, we are just ‘BS-ing’ each other.”

A look at Haas’ Instagram feed reveals references to Chinese philosophers like Sun Tzu, including the line: “Be calm enough to avoid war, and prepared enough to finish it.”

When asked about how that passage relates to him, Haas said: “I think that’s my life. My life has been full of chaos. I want to keep myself away from it, but when certain things happen in life, you also have to be prepared to go through it.

“I have brothers and kids of my own. I want to show them a different way of life, and how to go about things. That’s what that quote means to me. I try to make sure my kids have a positive life and not the chaos I’ve had in my life.”

Haas’ parents’ troubles with the law have been well documented, while the 2020 loss of his quadriplegic brother, Chace, continues to affect him. “I still think about every single day,” Haas says

It was Chace’s condition that helped Haas first connect with Wayne Bennett, the man who gave him his start at the Broncos and who will coach him at South Sydney from next year.

Haas’ maturity was impossible to ignore when discussing the reasons he wanted to leave Brisbane for the Bunnies next year.

“Wayne played a massive role in me coming to Souths,” Haas said. “Cam Murray was another big reason – he’s someone I’ve always admired as a great leader.

“But it was mainly to do with being close to family. I have no family left in Brisbane, except for my brothers, Klese and Hans. Everyone knows about my parents’ situation. All my family is in Newcastle, and most of [partner] Leilani’s family live in Manly.

“I want my kids growing up with their cousins having family around, and they’ll hopefully get to see them every second week. We’ll have that support network, which we don’t have now.”

Haas, whose fondest memory of watching Origin was Tim Grant charge over the top of his childhood idol Petero Civoniceva with the first carry in game two of the 2012 series, has on more than one occasion referenced the ‘True Blue’ spirit when discussing the game-one come-from-behind victory.

It was a term introduced by coach Michael Maguire during the 2024 series, and one that stayed with Haas.

“True Blue spirit is about fighting to the death for your brothers – you keep going, no matter what’s going on or the circumstances – never stop,” Haas said.

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.