Footy star Payne Haas opens up about the moment he found out his disabled brother only had 24 hours to live – and how he deals with his mum and dad both being jailed

There would be few NRL players going into this year’s final series with as much on their shoulders as Brisbane Broncos star Payne Haas.

The resurgent Broncos finished the regular season in fourth place and will battle minor premiers Canberra for a place in a preliminary final in two weeks’ time.

Haas will be the general of the forward pack, Canberra’s greatest threat and the unchallenged leader of all props in the NRL.

But there’s a very private pain behind his excellence on the field after his family was torn apart.

Chace Haas, the NRL star’s older brother, passed away in August 2020 at the age of 21 after suffering respiratory failure. 

Already battling with COVID, the lockdowns and the impacts it had on the NRL, Haas got the devastating news that he had just 24 hours to say goodbye to his brother. 

Chace had lived with severe disabilities since a car accident in 1999 left him a ventilated quadriplegic. 

‘It was tough – Chace was everything to me,’ Haas told Channel 9’s 100% Footy.

‘He would just get sick from time to time and that’s what I thought was happening. He went to hospital and I thought he would be all right, but dad gave me a call that Chace had about 24 hours to live and he was gonna pass away.

‘It broke me, I didn’t wanna believe it and I still remember being in that room, seeing my mum cry and my dad. I spoke to him before they had to do what they had to do and he still had a smile on his face, which was pretty crazy.

‘I think that was probably the hardest three years of my life, trying to get over that.

‘I know he’d be looking down and be proud of what I’m doing. I don’t think he knew at the time, but he did so much for me in my life and I still carry him to this day.’

Haas’s mother, Uiatu ‘Joan’ Taufua, has been committed to stand trial over a crash that killed three people in Bonogin on the Gold Coast in December 2022. 

She faces three counts of manslaughter and multiple driving charges, with police alleging she was drunk, unlicensed, and speeding on the wrong side of the road while trying to evade police. 

The victims were 79-year-old Chris Fawcett, his partner 70-year-old Susan Zimmer, and her daughter Steffanie, 35, who all died when their car was forced into a power pole. 

Taufua, the sole survivor of the collision, has remained in custody since her arrest, and her legal team is now seeking mobile phone evidence for her defence. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos star’s father Gregor Johann Haas stands accused of attempting to smuggle methamphetamine concealed in ceramic tiles from Mexico into Indonesia.

The Philippine Court of Appeals has blocked his release, reversing an earlier ruling that recognised him as a Filipino citizen with no pending local charges. He remains in custody in Taguig City while Indonesian authorities pursue his extradition, with discussions underway that may involve a swap deal.

He has not been released and continues to face ongoing extradition talks and legal proceedings.

It has left Haas left to juggle his football commitments with being a role model for his family with both parents out of the picture.

He is the legal guardian of his younger brothers Hans and Geejay and has has two children of his own in daughter Lalita and infant son Luckee.

It is a lot for a young man who is just 25 years old, but he handles it with grace and maturity beyond his years.  

‘I’ve been around chaos all my life, so it’s pretty easy for me to be honest,’ he said.

‘I know my parents and who they are as people. They’ve made their mistakes, but my parents did a lot for myself as well.

‘I can’t control what my dad does – that doesn’t make me less of a man, just because of what my dad does, that’s his life and what he chose.

‘What that last name brings, it’s not as good as it should be. I’ve seen some things that I don’t wish upon no one. I don’t want my kids to see that kind of stuff.

‘I want my brothers, my siblings and my kids to have great morals and be good people and respectful and loving. If they do that, I’ve done my job.’

Now Haas will line up for Brisbane in their qualifying final clash with the Raiders on Sunday with a genuine chance at a premiership in his sights.

While Haas has cemented his place as the best forward in the game at State of Origin and international level, winning a premiership ring remains the one burning desire that has been left unchecked. 

‘I feel like I do need a ring to have that kind of name next to me – to have that kind of accolade puts you up another level and that’s something I’m chasing now,’ he said.

‘I feel like I have achieved everything individually and in rep teams – but I want a ring.

‘That’s something I really want to achieve in my NRL career and I haven’t done that.

‘I got so close in 2023 but it was taken away from us, so it makes me hungry and I want to go back there.

‘I don’t know when that time will come – but when we go back there, I’m sure we’ll win.’