Joey makes ugly Haas claim as Broncos ‘debacle’ hits rock bottom
Andrew Johns has delivered a damning assessment of the Broncos and believes the departure of Payne Haas kick-started their shocking downfall.
After winning a drought-breaking premiership, Brisbane have slid right down the ladder in 2026 and are now in danger of finishing with the wooden spoon.
Payne Haas is heading to the Rabbitohs. NRL Imagery
It’s been an ugly turn of events for Michael Maguire’s side and the pressure is on the coach less than two years into his tenure at Red Hill.
The powerhouse club’s fall from grace began when Haas decided to knock back an offer to stay at the Broncos, signing a deal with South Sydney.
It was a signing that rocked the NRL and everything that has happened at the Broncos since then can be traced back to that exact moment.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports’ Immortal Behaviour this week, Johns couldn’t hide his disbelief when it came to Brisbane’s performances, while also pointing to their recruitment and retention philosophy in building for the future.
“This is a huge story - if they’re not the biggest, they’re in the top three biggest sporting franchises in this country,” the Knights legend said.
“The most damning thing is you have a once-in-a-lifetime player who will be the greatest front-rower we’ve ever seen in Payne Haas, and he’s leaving. That’s the one that says to me, something is going on up there.
“They haven’t made some tough decisions, there are older players who I think have gone a year too long … you need to move your older players a year early.
“Their recruitment and their decision to keep players, I think they’d like to have that again. They’ve gone out and bought Dane Gagai - he’s coming to the end, he’s still playing well, but what’s that say about their junior development? I don’t see the next real generation in the key positions coming through.
“There’s talk Billy Walters is leaving, so who’s their long-term nine? Blake Mozer is there, big raps on him, but I haven’t seen him come on and light it up. They’ve got big raps on this young dummy-half, but I haven’t seen it.
“It’s been nothing short of a debacle. They say ‘nah, nothing is going on’ … but you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime player [Haas] in your backyard and he leaves.”
The older players Johns is referring to are veteran halves Adam Reynolds and Ben Hunt, who played key roles in the 2025 premiership but have struggled this year.
Reynolds will hang up the boots at season’s end, but Hunt surprisingly was given a fresh contract and will play another year with the Broncos.
Gagai’s signing came as a surprise to many, while the club have also signed NSW Blues enforcer Mitch Barnett to replace Haas in the front-row.
Mitch Barnett has signed with the Broncos. Getty Images
Barnett is a quality player but will turn 33 next April and has had a rough trot with injuries, coming off an ACL rupture last season and other dramas this year.
One of the other key concerns for the Broncos has been the constant narrative that Maguire’s coaching methods don’t resonate with the squad.
“All we keep hearing is they train too hard and Madge is too intense,” Johns said.
“Whatever it is, it’s still gotta be fun. Even though you’re at the real top of the pyramid, it’s still gotta be fun and you’ve still gotta love going to training.”
With four rounds left in the regular season, Brisbane face a tough run home as they look to send Haas and Reynolds out on the right note.
Johns, however, delivered a brutal prediction, which could make the Broncos the worst premiership-winning team in NRL history.
“They won’t win another game,” he said.
“Warriors will give it to them, they play the Raiders down there [in Canberra] … then they play the Storm and they finish with the Dogs.
Reece Walsh reacts after Brisbane’s round 21 loss. Getty Images
“We look at St George Illawarra - they play the Tigers this weekend, then they play the Dogs next week, which is iffy - but they finish with Manly who are struggling and the Eels. If they win three of those, that gets them equal with the Broncos.
“If they cop some shellackings … the Broncos are a rough chance of getting the wooden spoon. Never in the history of the game could I imagine a team has gone from premiership winners to the wooden spoon.
“For a club that ticks every box, for them to be down the bottom is just a debacle.”
