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The box of tricks Fifita and Haas will open at Nines

Payne Haas and David Fifita have already unveiled the heavy artillery in their arsenal and now the Broncos pair are set to dip into their box of tricks at the NRL Nines.

The two boom forwards shone in 2019 on the back of their powerhouse running but they been given a licence to thrill in Perth where Fifita's reverse flick and Haas's silky tip-on pass have been tipped to feature.

The duo came through the Keebra Park High School system where coach Glen Campbell encouraged them to play an expansive style when the time was right.

Brisbane coach Anthony Seibold told NRL.com that one of the skills Haas had been working on in the pre-season was his short passing game.

It is a fundamental that Haas aims to showcase this year after unveiling plenty of quality short balls at Keebra Park High.

"Payne had a quality short pass done at speed that no-one has really seen yet," Campbell told NRL.com

"When the opposition pushes up in numbers he draws the flies to him and then tips on to someone in a better position, which is what he'd do at school setting up [now Wests Tigers forward] Tom Mikaele on big runs.

"At the Nines if the opposition give too much attention to Payne then he will have a very good opportunity to offload and put the players with wheels away."

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Broncos assistant coach Kurt Richards said club legend Corey Parker, who will play in the Nines, had been a big help to Haas with his skill base ahead of the Perth trip.

"That is Corey Parker’s role with the forwards in attack and one thing he has tried to build with all our forwards is that short pass," Richards said.

"If we can play direct and get short passes at inside shoulders I think we can really expose opponents through the middle.

"[Haas] is still building on it and has got good hands, and he will continue to focus and work on that this year."

Fifita also has passing flair to go with his power game.

"Dave's reverse flick is another skill he has up his sleeve that no-one has really seen, but I think in this Nines comp you might see it," Campbell said.

"He will find people in traffic and change his mind from a forehand to a reverse flick at the drop of a hat.

"It as an asset that can give him the edge and the Nines is the time to try stuff so I am looking forward to seeing it."

Fifita starred for the Kangaroos at the World Nines last year and Richards said he was keen to replicate that form.

David Fifita on the charge at the World Cup 9s.
David Fifita on the charge at the World Cup 9s. ©Grant Trouville/NRL Photos

"He is a real talent and he gets excited like a 12-year-old kid does Dave," Richards said.

"Ever since that World Cup, he has been excited about getting back on the park and playing that format of the game again.

"There is a little bit more space and more one-on-one opportunities. Everyone else around him has to do their job and create opportunities for Dave."

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The other danger posed by Haas is his immense engine which enables him to come up with big plays at the back end of games when defenders are tired, as he did last year with a scorching run at Suncorp Stadium to secure victory against Penrith.

"We would play Nines format at school and he had no trouble lasting the full amount of time because he has the lungs and will power," Campbell said.

"Payne is no slouch either. I have school videos of him doing quite a few runaway tries from 30 metres out, like he did against Penrith where in open space he let everyone see what he can do."

 

Get your tickets to the 2020 NRL Nines in Perth at nrl.com/tickets.

Official NRL Travel packages, including NRL Nine’s tickets, accommodation options and exclusive experiences with NRL Legends can be purchased via www.nrl.com/travel

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