Canberra Raiders enforcer Josh Papalii knows little about Payne Haas, but he feels everything the Brisbane Broncos youngster has been through off the field only makes him more dangerous on it.
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Haas is part of a Broncos pack that was labelled the most dangerous young group of forwards in the NRL at the start of the season, but they've struggled to turn that into wins over the opening rounds.
They've had just one win and sit 13th on the ladder, while the Raiders' were widely unheralded only to win four of their first five to sit third.
The Broncos might be struggling, but the Raiders are weary of a team coming to Canberra with something to prove. Plus, the Queenslanders have won their past six games against them.
The Raiders pack is starting to make those outside of Canberra take notice after trimming down in the off-season.
Papalii leads from the front row and will go head-to-head with Haas, who has shifted to prop following an injury to Matthew Lodge (throat).
Haas has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons this season, missing four games for refusing to co-operate with the NRL integrity unit and also being convicted for driving without a licence.
But Papalii felt the 194-centimetre, 119-kilogram 20-year-old was producing on the field.
"You won't miss him. He's a big kid," he said.
"I read a few things that he's been through a lot as a young fella and you can see that with his attitude and the way he commits into playing, it's amazing to watch."
Having lost their big boppers, the Raiders pack has been filled with a couple of Englishmen - in John Bateman and Ryan Sutton - plus a group of unknown youngsters looking to make a name for themselves.
They've quickly shown while they might not be the biggest, they could be one of the best.
They've conquered all but the Melbourne Storm forwards this season and will now look to take down the young bulls.
"They're obviously young, but they're promising. The boys coming through the system there are destined for big things," Papalii said of the Broncos pack.
"Their young boys are massive. They've got speed. They've got a bit of skill too so we're going to have to be on our best game on Sunday and hopefully perform.
"It's our pack versus their pack. We're not that big this year, [but] it seems to be working."
NRL ROUND SIX
Sunday: Canberra Raiders v Brisbane Broncos at Canberra Stadium, 5pm. Tickets from Ticketek.
Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Sam Williams, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Dunamis Lui, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Ryan Sutton. Interchange: 14. Siliva Havili, 15. Hudson Young, 16. Sia Soliola, 17. JJ Collins. Reserves: 18. Aidan Sezer, 19. Corey Horsburgh, 20. Jack Murchie, 21. Bailey Simonsson.
Broncos squad: 1. Darius Boyd (c), 2. Corey Oates, 3. Kotoni Staggs, 4. Jack Bird, 5. Jamayne Isaako, 6. Anthony Milford, 7. Kodi Nikorima, 8. Payne Haas, 9. Andrew McCullough, 10. Joe Ofahengaue, 11. Alex Glenn, 12. Matt Gillett, 13. David Fifita. Interchange: 14. Gehamat Shibasaki, 15. Jaydn Su'A, 16. Thomas Flegler, 17. Patrick Carrigan. Reserves: 18. Shaun Fensom, 19. Patrick Mago, 20. James Roberts, 21. Richard Kennar.