The South Sydney Rabbitohs will welcome the game’s best prop, Payne Haas, to the club in 2027, but it could cost them other players already at the club.
Haas, who will move from the Brisbane Broncos at the end of the current season on a seven-figure deal, has stretched South Sydney’s salary cap to breaking point.
That’s hardly a surprise.
The Rabbitohs were already on thin ice in attempting to extend the contract of Keaon Koloamatangi, and while all that money went the way of Haas, they had to use extra to top up the Origin player’s deal after he was attacked following Koloamatangi’s signing with the Dragons.
The Rabbitohs have several other big-money deals already out around their squad, led by those to Latrell Mitchell and Cameron Murray.
It has led to the club having to apparently cease contract negotiations for the time being with 2025 breakout star Jamie Humphreys.
News Corp reports that the club were close to a deal with Humphreys prior to the signing of Haas, but those negotiations have now been put on pause as the Maroubra-based outfit assesses its salary cap situation, and Humphreys entertains exactly what price he would accept to remain at the club.
The half and hooker, who surprisingly won the number seven jersey at Maroubra ahead of Lewis Dodd to start 2025, then became the club’s first-choice number seven on a full-time basis throughout the season, is off-contract at the end of the season and would have no shortage of suitors if he went to the open market.
Coming from the Manly Sea Eagles, where his path to first-grade was blocked, Humphreys made the Northern Beaches club regret their decision-making process throughout 2025 and will be out to do more of the same in 2026 as he returns this weekend from injury.
It’s understood that the Perth Bears, who have signed Tyran Wishart and Toby Sexton as their likely first-choice halves but still don’t have a hooker for their inaugural campaign, would be among the clubs interested in Humphreys.
The 24-year-old, who debuted for Manly and played a single game with the club in 2024, added 18 games to his career tally in 2025 with South Sydney.
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