Brisbane Broncos star forward Payne Haas is in doubt for Saturday evening’s clash against the North Queensland Cowboys.
Haas, who has missed a handful of games this year due to injury and one with a skin infection, has now contracted an illness.
News Corp is reporting that he missed training on Wednesday, was cancelled from a media commitment, and was quarantined from his teammates to prevent the spread of any illness around the camp.
It’s understood that, while he is in doubt, Michael Maguire is still confident he will be able to take to the field on Saturday.
If he does, it will be off limited preparation, although that has been shown not to be a problem for the star forward this year after he played State of Origin Game 1 with barely a training session in camp under his belt before turning out as one of the best on ground.
The Broncos are under considerably less pressure than some may have tipped for their trip to Townsville following a pair of wins over the Dolphins and Newcastle Knights.
They came without Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds, and have allowed the Broncos to secure their spot in the top eight, although continued good form against the Cowboys, and then the Melbourne Storm in the last round keeps the door slightly ajar for a top-four finish, or at the very least, a home elimination final.
Reynolds has been named as part of the 22-man squad for this weekend’s game, although he is not guaranteed to return, with Maguire confirming he won’t be risked if there is any lingering doubt.
“He’s a chance of playing this week,” Maguire told the publication.
“I have named Adam in the squad; he did some running (on Tuesday), but I’m not going to chance it knowing what’s ahead.”
Reynolds’ potential return would see the Broncos go to a halves combination of veterans, with the returning former South Sydney player to join Ben Hunt.
Hunt confirmed on 4BC Radio today that he and Reynolds would be Brisbane’s halves pairing heading into the finals, with Ezra Mam’s season likely over thanks to a hamstring injury.
Reynolds’ return would push Billy Walters back to either dummy half or the bench, where he would be expected to split the role with either Cory Paix or Tyson Smoothy, who will depart the club for the English Super League at the end of the campaign.
If Haas is ruled out, either Kobe Hetherington or Ben Talty would start, with 18th man Jesse Arthars potentially resuming his spot on the bench. If Maguire looks to replace a like-for-like, Fletcher Baker is the only forward among the reserves.
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