Payne Haas could be playing his final game for Samoa on Sunday amid reports of a code switch to R360.
Meanwhile, Dylan Brown can cap a tumltous season with the Golden Boot award in a statement performance as he bids for Pacific Champiuonships glory.
And Simi Sasagi can cap his rapid rise to Samoa starter to lead his side to a historic first title.
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Read on for the Talking Points ahead of the Pacifc Championships final.
HAAS TARGETS TITLE IN POTENTIAL SAMOA SWAN SONG
Payne Haas was the biggest defector from the Kangaroos to Samoa this season, but the Pacific Championships final could be his last chance to play in blue.
The Daily Telegraph reported Haas is close to signing a $3 million a season deal with R360, which could spell the end of his NRL career.
Any players who talk with R360 risk being banned from the NRL for 10 years under new rules made by the game’s governing body to stop players leaving the sport for the riches of the rebel league.
However, now that Haas has won a premiership with the Broncos, he could opt to set his family up for life with a monster pay day.
The Broncos want to sign Haas to a long-term extension, but are unable to get anywhere near the money on offer from R360.
That means Sunday’s clash with the Kiwis could be his first and only chance to win a title with Samoa, before switching codes.
However, he could then potentially represent Samoa or the Wallabies in rugby union.
The 25-year-old has scored 13 tries in 142 games for the Broncos since his debut in 2018 and has also played 17 Origins for the Blues and six Tests for the Kangaroos and Samoa.
R360’s inaugural season is set to kick-off the week of the 2026 Grand Final, so even if he plays out his contract with the Broncos next year, Haas has likely played his final game for Samoa after tomorrow.
Smith to join Broncos | 00:34
BROWN CAN CAP TUMULTUOUS YEAR WITH GOLDEN MOMENT
It’s been a tumultuous 2025 for Dylan Brown.
At the start of the season, the talented playmaker signed a whopping ten year, $13 million deal with the Newcastle Knights.
Brown’s form following the bombshell news wasn’t of a player set to earn $1.3 million a year or anything near that.
His form was inconsistent and he was under heavy scrutiny.
He was dropped after a Round 19 loss by Eels coach Jason Ryles before earning a recall in the final round to be given a Parramatta swan song.
Picked for New Zealand for the Pacific Championships, Brown’s form for the Kiwis has been inspiring.
Because of it, Brown could cap a very strange season with the most prized individual award for international play – the Golden Boot.
Brown was one of 19 players nominated for the award.
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VERSATILE STAR OUT TO CAP STELLAR SEASON
Simi Sasagi has had an impressive season, and it could get even better if he stands tall in the Pacific Championships final.
After injuries to both Jeremiah Nanai and Jaydn Su’A, Sasagi has found himself promoted to the starting side for Samoa’s second clash and a crucial tie against the Kiwis.
The 24-year-old enjoyed his best NRL season to date with the Raiders and became a crucial figure under Ricky Stuart.
Largely plying his trade off the bench, Sasagi was able to slot into the back row, the centres and he even started at five-eighth in the club’s semi final loss to the Sharks.
Sasagi has proven himself to be a genuine NRL weapon – so could he force his way into Stuart’s starting side?
With a mammoth performance, matching up against either Isaiah Papalii or Briton Nikora, Sasagi could put himself in the selection frame.
Hudson Young is an absolute lock for Canberra, and Zac Hosking was impressive this season, but that doesn’t mean he’s 100 per cent safe.
While Matty Nicholson is also in the equation, if Sasagi continues to improve it will be hard to keep him out of the run-on side.
What’s more, Hosking has shown in the past he can do a role in the middle of the park.
And when injuries strike, Sasagi can shift elsewhere in the backline, with Hosking taking over his back row role.
While there’s no certainty those moves will take place, Sasagi has a big opportunity in the final against New Zealand.
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Titans begin new era under Hannay | 02:25
FORAN’S BID TO CAP REMARKABLE CAREER WITH PAC CHAMPS TITLE
Kiwis star Kieran Foran is looking for one last victory in his rugby league farewell in the Pacific Championships final against Samoa on Sunday.
The veteran halfback will bring down the curtain on a remarkable career, which has seen him score 60 tries in 318 games for the Sea Eagles, Eels, Warriors, Bulldogs and Titans since his debut in 2009.
He won a premiership with Manly in 2011 and also made the 2013 Grand Final, before going down to the Roosters.
The 35-year-old has also played 33 Tests for New Zealand and is hoping for one more win in his 34th and final Test match on Sunday before hanging up the boots for good.
Foran has wound back the clock in the 2025 Pacific Championships and is a big reason why teammate Dylan Brown is back to his brilliant best.
A five-eighth for most of his illustrious career, Foran has relished the chief playmaker role in recent years at the Titans and has transferred that to the international arena with New Zealand.
The way he is playing, Foran could go around again next year if he wanted to, but with a job as an assistant coach at Manly and his TV commitments with Fox League, the champion playmaker is ready to start a new chapter in his life.
Foran will go down as one of the toughest pound for pound players to ever play in the NRL and the fact he kept turning up, even through tough periods of injuries, shows his true character and grit and determination to succeed.
The Kiwis and the Titans will miss his leadership, but it is good that Foran will not be lost to the game and hopefully for his sake he can go out with a Pacific Championships title, which would be a deserved exclamation point on a stunning NRL career.
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