From the article:
"We have cap space and we have the money for a player of Payne Haas’ calibre.
His name would be floated at our list-management committee meetings, it would have to be.
It would be naive to think that a player of the calibre of Payne Haas would not be the subject of consideration internally.
I don’t partake in discussions at that level, so I can’t comment affirmatively, but I would be very surprised if Payne Haas’ name is not being raised internally, as you would expect it to be.
Payne would be an incredible addition to any roster, but whether Benji wants another middle, that’s for him and Tim Sheens to ultimately determine moving forward.
In my experience, generally when big-name players test the market, they tend to stay where they are.
Precedent tells us that the vast majority of these marquee players stay loyal.
Look at Cameron Munster, Mitchell Moses, Shaun Johnson and Kalyn Ponga.
It’s not often you see high-profile, marquee players move from club to club, but they are perfectly entitled to test their worth on the open market.
Payne Haas is a wonderful player, but the final decision will rest with Tim and Benji."
- Lee Hagipantelis
"Payne is a beast, he’s probably the best prop in the game with his motor and workrate.
He’s a monster and he’s the prop in the game I want to be like.
He is a big guy who leads by action and doesn’t say too much at training but on the field he runs so hard, and that’s what I want to build my game around."
- Stefano Utoikamanu
"We’ve had interest from all 16 clubs.
He hasn’t had the chance to test his value, so we want to make sure his deal is fair on the open market and if it is, he will never complain in the future.
We can’t put a value on him, he is worth what any club will pay for him.
We just want transparency on his true value and Payne employs me, so he will make the final decision."
- Ahmad Merhi
