3 minute read

Brisbane pair Payne Haas and Albert Kelly have been interviewed by the club and NRL after footage of an altercation between the pair surfaced on Sunday night.

Brisbane players Payne Haas and Albert Kelly await their NRL fate after grillings from their club and the integrity unit.

Footage of the teammates in a scuffle, believed to have taken place in Sydney last month after a win over Canterbury, surfaced online on Sunday night.

Haas can be heard calling Kelly a f****** c***, while also holding his hand to his throat and appearing to deliver a left-handed blow to Kelly's head.

The NSW Origin prop, who according to the club had not been drinking, also appears to shove the playmaker's face with his right hand, while slurred voices can be heard.

"Players Albert Kelly and Payne Haas cooperated fully with both the club and the integrity unit," Brisbane said in a club statement on Monday.

"The Broncos will now work with the NRL as they complete their investigation."

The incident is the latest in a string of off-field dramas for Haas and comes as rival clubs, including Friday's opponents Sydney Roosters, prepare to swoop with big-money deals.

The 22-year-old was last year handed a good behaviour bond over an altercation with police in Tweed Heads, where he was accused of intimidating a female officer.

He was fined $50,000 by the NRL and suspended for three matches.

It came after he was also suspended for four games at the start of 2019 for failing to cooperate with an NRL integrity unit investigation.

The incident is also not the first clash between current Broncos players after Jordan Riki and Tom Flegler were engaged in bust-up at the end of last season.

After starting the season with two wins, the Broncos have slipped with worrying efforts in back-to-back losses.

Based in Brisbane all week after playing North Queensland in Townsville, the Roosters are doing their best to steer clear of the Red Hill dramas.

"I think he's a good player," Joseph Manu said of Haas.

"There'll be a lot of interest from other clubs. He's just one of those quality players and I don't know where we end up. I don't really know him but he's a good player.

"I can't really talk about that (the incident) because I've not really seen it.

"We get to play the Broncos here in Brisbane and I know Friday night is going to be a big game. I'm getting my mind prepped for that game and I'm really looking forward to playing."