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Brisbane coach Kevin Walters says the club are supporting prop Payne Haas “in every way” after the player’s father was arrested in the Philippines facing extradition to Indonesia, where he is accused of drug trafficking.
Gregor Johann Haas, 46, was arrested in Cebu City on Wednesday, according to local media reports.
Head of the Public Relations and Protocol Bureau of Indonesia’s National Narcotics Board General, Sulistyo Pudjo Hartono, said authorities had been tracking Haas since December last year after the discovery of five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told AAP it was providing consular assistance to an Australian man arrested in the Philippines but was unable to make further comment due to privacy obligations.
Payne’s mother, Joan Taufua, is in jail facing manslaughter charges after a car she was driving killed three people in 2022. Payne has been a rock for his siblings, including two of his younger brothers who he cares for.
The latest incident has resulted in his Broncos family rallying around Payne.
Walters, speaking after the 13-12 win over Manly on Friday night, said the Broncos were “supporting Payne in every way we can”.
“Payne’s a very strong individual and his family is as well. A lot of people probably don’t understand or realise the person Payne is,” Walters said.
“He’s a tremendous guy, tremendous family person and in this moment in time that he’s going through we will get around him in every way we can to support him and his family. That’s all we can do.
“Payne’s just such a great person of integrity … and what he’s doing with his family even before this incident is something we need to be very respectful of.”
Payne’s close friend and teammate Pat Carrigan summed up the way the Australian prop and five-time Broncos player of the year was regarded.
“Everyone knows what Payne Haas can do as a football player. Me and him are really close, we’re probably like family now the two of us,” Carrigan said.
“His resilience and his caring, he’s the first one to check on all the boys and then there’s the load he carries willingly for us as a club, but also his family is pretty special.
“If there were more like Payne Haas in the world I think it would be a better place.”
Haas sent a scare through the Broncos when he was assisted from the field in the 60th minute against Manly with what appeared to be a serious lower left leg injury, before he returned 14 minutes later to finish the match.
“He’s fine,” Walters said.
“He got a knee to the calf which triggered a nerve problem in his big toe. He’s right now. He’s still limping and not right but he should be right for next week which is gold for us.”