Brisbane Broncos marquee star Payne Haas has been struck down by illness ahead of Saturday night’s derby against the North Queensland Cowboys in Townsville, leaving his availability in doubt.
According to the Daily Telegraph, the NSW Origin enforcer was isolated from his Broncos teammates on Wednesday ahead of their Round 26 clash after contracting the flu.
The 25-year-old was also pulled from a media commitment and instructed to rest, with the aim of ensuring a full recovery ahead of the crucial derby clash.
This wouldn’t be the first time Haas has been unexpectedly sidelined this season due to illness.
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The star prop has faced a series of health issues, including a scare in Round 22 when he was forced to withdraw from the clash against South Sydney due to a skin infection that required hospitalisation and IV treatment on the eve of the game.
Broncos coach Michael Maguire stressed that Haas’ current illness is less serious, with the Daily Telegraph reporting that he is confident the prop could take the field if carefully managed in the coming days.
On a more positive note for the Broncos ahead of their Queensland derby against the Cowboys in Townsville, the club could see captain Adam Reynolds make a shock return after ramping up his preparations at Broncos training on Wednesday.
“He’s a chance of playing this week,” Maguire told the Daily Telegraph.
“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.”