When the Hayne train becomes a pain
Roar Guru By The Barry, 28 Jul 2010 The Barry is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Jarryd Hayne, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Rugby League
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Jarryd Hayne’s opening twenty minutes against the Bulldogs on Friday night was some of the most scintillating rugby league that you could ever hope to see. The tackle busts, steps and raw acceleration for his first try.
The long ball and support play for his second. The balance and ability to draw defenders before throwing the cut out pass for Krisnan Inu’s first try were all top shelf – and all within ten minutes of kick off!
Unfortunately, Channel 9’s commentary team lost the plot and started to assign Midas like qualities to everything that Hayne did from that point on – the good, the bad and the ugly.
It started when Hayne went on a 40 metre crab-like run across field before flinging a wild flick pass above and behind Inu and directly into touch. Wow! said the commentators, nobody can do what Hayne can do on a footy field, he’s amazing, brilliant, etc, etc.
One can only imagine the caning that a Daniel Mortimer or Jeff Robson would have copped if they’d done the same.
Later in the game Hayne was involved in a backline move where he received the ball and immediately passed to Joel Reddy, who drew the opposing winger and put Inu in for his second try.
Again the commentators reached for the superlatives with Gus telling us it was a mark of genius for a ball player like Hayne to realise that he could sometimes pass to a team mate and let him set up the try rather than throwing the cut out pass himself.
Puh-lease … what Hayne did he did well, but it was a simple catch and pass and most competent park footballers could do exactly the same thing.
It reached a crescendo when Hayne pulled off his brilliant cover tackle on David Stagg. Rabs went into hyperbolic overdrive: How many times is he going to do that in one game? How many tries is he going to save?
Ummm, Rabs, Hayne hadn’t actually saved any tries up to that point. He was involved in the earlier attempt to hold Andrew Ryan up over the line but Ryan got the ball down before Hayne could get underneath and roll him over.
Around the half hour mark we were told that Hayne was Johns, Lockyer, Fittler, Daley and Wally Lewis all rolled into one!
Really?
Hayne is yet to take win a Test match by the scruff of the neck (albeit that to date he’s only been selected as a winger) and while he has a couple of amazing moments on his Origin highlights reel he’s yet to dominate an Origin game let alone a series.
While I kept the volume on, I know a few people who turned it down at this stage, having had enough of the whole planes, trains and automobiles commentary cavalcade.
When he’s on Hayne is an incredible player who performs amazing feats on the field. It should be remembered (and remarked) that he’s still only 22 and still learning the game (and his own game), most notably the key to consistency which has eluded plenty of potentially great players in the past.
To date, he’s had a great run of eight or nine games at the back end of 2009, culminating in a disappointing Grand Final performance and has now strung together three great games in a row this season.
I hope Hayne does turn his current form into a run like ’09 because it added an exciting dimension into the run in to the semis and heaven knows the competition this year needs a team and a player to stand up and grab the headlines.
I also hope that in ten years time we’re all talking about what a fantastic career Hayne has had. However, in the meantime, let’s just tone down some of the overblown commentary around everything that he does.
It’s almost like commentators and journalists want to make the grand statements so that in a few years time they can reflect on their own eye for talent: “I always said that Hayne would be better than Lockyer.”
And if he doesn’t live up to the hype – well there’s a story in itself.
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- Jarryd Hayne, NRL, Parramatta Eels, Rugby League
July 28th 2010 @ 11:45am
oikee said | July 28th 2010 @ 11:45am | Report comment
The more they talk them up, the more headlines you create. I was reading sporting life in England and what poped up, yes, the Hayne Train. I have said he is one of the most powerful athletes i have ever seen.
July 28th 2010 @ 11:47am
BennO said | July 28th 2010 @ 11:47am | Report comment
The Barry,
I could not agree with you more. I turned the volume down because it was uncomfortable hearing grown men carrying on like teenage girls squealing about Justin Bieber. It was cringeworthy. The “amazing” pass to Joel Reddy that allowed Inu to score was the last straw for me. That was positively laughable.
July 28th 2010 @ 12:58pm
mickh said | July 28th 2010 @ 12:58pm | Report comment
If I have to sit through one more Gus Gould monologue before an Origin game while he looks longingly into the sky for effect while the camera circles him about how Origin is the greatest contest since David took on Goliath I will personally jump the fence and shove a sock into his big mouth.
The guy is nothing more than a egomaniac. Nothing that comes out of his mouth is worth listening to. He is a buffoon!! There I said it a BUFFOON!
July 28th 2010 @ 1:36pm
BennO said | July 28th 2010 @ 1:36pm | Report comment
nice one mickh! I find it hard to argue with you.
It’s good we’ve got these forums. You know, to share our pain and vent our fury.
July 28th 2010 @ 1:41pm
oikee said | July 28th 2010 @ 1:41pm | Report comment
He is on Fox sports this week, so you 2 guys can go watch some cooking shows.
If your lucky, channel 7 get the rights next deal.
I will be watching the Hayne train do it all again,. super saturday.
July 28th 2010 @ 1:57pm
Jeff said | July 28th 2010 @ 1:57pm | Report comment
Please no more Rabbit , (or Gus), can we please have someone who will watch the game and not carry on like two ……….. Jeff is lost for THE WORD.
July 28th 2010 @ 2:30pm
oikee said | July 28th 2010 @ 2:30pm | Report comment
Yes, have to agree, rabbits and gus went overboard, but Jarrod Hayne is a class above other players. So he lets in a few tries, show me 1 fullback that stops every try. Not possible.
Hopefully he encourages more carriages to move up to airline status, and take off.
This guy is taking rugby league to another level, typical we have bashers come out to put him down. Enjoy the ride, i am Broncos through and through, but i can tell the difference between a Plane and a Chugger-butt,., this guy is paving the way for more players to lift to a new level.
Why i only remember like it was yesterday, the knives were out telling all and sundry Lockyer was finished.
Some of you guys need to loosen up, enjoy the ride, dont derail this sucker.
July 28th 2010 @ 5:10pm
mickh said | July 28th 2010 @ 5:10pm | Report comment
Yeah I’m gutted Master Chef is finished!
July 28th 2010 @ 5:22pm
Tone it down said | July 28th 2010 @ 5:22pm | Report comment
If you want to know what Hayne’s weakness is have a look at a tape of the Indigenous team v Allstars game from the start of the season. An unknown kid from Canberra called Joel Thompson shut Hayne out of the game single handedly. He just took it on himself to smash him every time he got the ball. In the end Hayne was looking for him and dropped a simple pas on one occasion because he was looking for Thompson. Thompson played him out of the game again when the Raiders played Parra as well. Hayne is a good player, but is a long way below the best in the game. For a start he can easily be panicked into mistakes as an unknown from Canberra has showed on two occasions this season. Maybe it is time to just let Hayne play without all the pressure of stupid comments about his status in the game. He will probably enjoy the game more as well.
July 28th 2010 @ 4:32pm
john said | July 28th 2010 @ 4:32pm | Report comment
The Hayne praise may be over the top at times but it still pales in comparision with the praise heaped on Greg Inglis at origin.
The amount of times Inglis has fallen over the line only to be called the greatest player ever is ridiculous.
The amount of praise Hayne receives is nothing compared to that of Inglis whenever he steps onto the field
July 28th 2010 @ 8:14pm
Jeff said | July 28th 2010 @ 8:14pm | Report comment
True mate, so we agree that we need better commentators. Both these players are great for the game, both go through great patches, however the commentators almost orgam each time the ball goes near them. Gimme a dour rugby league type commentary any day, with attention on everone in the game.
Like I said before — “Exterminate the Rabbit”‘ I swear he is going senile — Just like moi lol.
August 1st 2010 @ 2:39pm
John said | August 1st 2010 @ 2:39pm | Report comment
I dont mind the commentators i just think perhaps its becoming more obvious who their favorite players are. The likes of Lockyer, Slater, Inglis and now maybe Hayne get huge praise from things others players probably wouldnt even get a mention for. During Origin its almost a joke
The praise needs to be reserved for the real impressive stuff
July 28th 2010 @ 8:05pm
Pete said | July 28th 2010 @ 8:05pm | Report comment
I feel a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I thought I was the only one hating all the Hayne Train superlatives. I thought it may be heresy to think in this way (I am an Eels fans). I swear that if Gus could he would give birth to Jarryd Hayne’s children. I think part of it is the need to build a superstar in Western Sydney for the code war. Hayne fits the bill because he is very talented local boy and has a long contract with the Eels and unlikey to dump it to go to England, Union or AFL.
A few weeks ago after Anderson’s comments Hayne was being called a premadonna who needed to toughen up, now he’s the second coming.
Hayne is a terrific talent but I wish he wouldn’t carry on after a try. He puts on that deadpan face as if to say yes I do that every day of the week that’s not a big deal or he hushes the crowd or he holds his arms out wide so the crowd can adore him. Meanwhile Gus is a having a Bruce McAveny “special’ moment up in the commentray box. Glad you’re on my team, but show your team mates some love when you score.
July 29th 2010 @ 10:10am
BennO said | July 29th 2010 @ 10:10am | Report comment
“Glad you’re on my team, but show your team mates some love when you score.”
That’s exactly my thoughts Pete. I think the guys a bloody unreal player but for some reason I find that irritating about him. I’m probably not gonna like him because I’m a QLDer (everyone south of the tweed hates billy slater, right?) but still.
July 29th 2010 @ 11:51am
oikee said | July 29th 2010 @ 11:51am | Report comment
Are you guys serious, you have premadonnas all around the world being worshipped, lauded as the next saint in football, fans grovelling over such players. 3 codes trying to steal our limelight. We get a player who is willing to give back some spot-light, lime-light if you wish, after flogging their guts out for 30 weeks of the year, and you guys are trying to put him down.
Look, if your that concerned about the way he acts, move on lads, go follow a round ball code, or better still, AFL superstars who klick that big sherrin between those 4 sticks might be the game for you.
Rugby league is hard tough sport, if they wish to do a micky flip, or a tumble-weed or back-flip or whatever, then good on them, they deserve to do as they like, i will be cheering for them, even demanding they do something special for the fans, like other codes do.
Next i think we need players to start ripping off their jerseys, not taking them off, ripping them off, show these other codes that our boys are pin-up players, worthy of being worshipped. I am sure they are plenty of women in the crowd who would love to see Jarrod rip his shirt off.
Just remember, you heard it here first. A good idea for promotion of our game.
July 29th 2010 @ 12:32pm
Col the Pom said | July 29th 2010 @ 12:32pm | Report comment
Oikee, I don’t think that most people are criticising Jarrod’s antics, the main gripe is the monotonous one player commentary that we are getting. I have the same criticism of commentators with Slater, Thurston and Lockyer.
I agree that our code needs characters, that’s what brings in the crowds. (there is nothing that my daughter would like better than see Cooper Cronk rip his shirt off )
But, Some credit must be given to the rest of the boys out there, When was the last time someone made a ‘God’ out of a Prop forward?, and they work harder than anyone on the field. Friday nights COMMENTARY on the Eels game was both annoying and pathetic.
July 29th 2010 @ 1:18pm
oikee said | July 29th 2010 @ 1:18pm | Report comment
Yes, i agree, but looking through the Rugby League week i noticed a good story about Nathan Calless today. Really, its up to the media to pump other players up also, and yes, Gus and Rabs do get carried away. Also the boys on foxsports seem to do the same, you would think that Carney was the second coming the way these guys raved about him last Monday nite, but boy, he did do a number on the Broncos, but then they went on to say they were only a young team(roosters), mate, the broncos players are mostly young players.?
Anyhow, credit where credit is due. So far i have noticed the Eels and Roosters playing great football. The Broncos are also good, but i am leaving my bar down abit this year, i dont wish to put any pressure on them. Cheers.
Tim Mannah has been outstanding this year, i think there has been a couple of stories about him, a few more would be good.
Hindy won females choice award or something last year. I think more stories on other players is a good thing, maybe we need a Female reporter to do more stories. That Danny weed only likes digging up trash.
July 29th 2010 @ 1:56pm
The Barry said | July 29th 2010 @ 1:56pm | Report comment
I’m more than happy for the commentators to go off about Hayne when he does something brilliant – his chip and chase try against the Tigers last year or his solo try in the semi against the Dragons spring to mind…even the first two tries on Friday night. It’s when he does something any player can do (catch or pass) or makes a mistake (flick pass over sideline) and the commentators lose their minds that gets on my nerves.
July 29th 2010 @ 2:28pm
James said | July 29th 2010 @ 2:28pm | Report comment
Some people have far too much time on their hands. This is as silly as that article someone wrote recently complaining about Jamie Soward doing his tribal dance routine before goal kicking.
Oikee, i agree with you. Australia loves its sports heroes….but loves trying to tear them down even more. ‘Tall-Poppy Syndrome’ its called.
I actually feel a little sorry for Jarryd Hayne, the reason; the guy can’t just go out and play a good solid game of football anymore. He can go out and play a good fullback game and not make any errors (like he did in Origin Game II)….but if he doesnt pull off some sort of magic and score a try, people say he’s ‘not in form’.
Saying that he’s only played THREE good games this year is incorrect….he led The Eels dazzling comeback against Manly in Rd 2, played very good solid games against The Cowboys and Bulldogs in Rd’s 7 and 8, put in a flawless fullback performance against Manly in Rd 10 and outplayed Billy Slater (which is why Slater got so frustrated) when the Eels played The Storm in Rd 13. His influence and talent is always there…he’s just turned it up an extra notch in the last few games and has been running the ball more.
Jarryd does the post try air-plane for the fans and to hype them up. The talk goes around about him supposedly being ‘big-headed’, well, i’ve met him…and he’s extremely soft-spoken and gentle natured, and actually comes accross as rather shy. He is also very fan-friendly, he seems a little overwhelmed by the adulation at times, but is all smiles and handshakes.
As for Rabs and Gus’s commentary on friday night, i think they just got caught up in the aura of things, which was understandable…Hayne was master and commander of the field on Friday night. They do the same when Locky, Slater, Inglis, Marshall are ripping up the field. And it goes back further…..in the old Origin days, listening to the commentators at times, you would have honestly thought Wally Lewis was the ONLY player on the field for The Maroons.
In summary, quit trying to cut down the ‘Tall Poppys’ and sit back, relax and enjoy the exciting football. Life, and the game itself, are too short to sit around moaning about some commentary and post-try celebrations.
GO THE EELS!
July 29th 2010 @ 4:48pm
oikee said | July 29th 2010 @ 4:48pm | Report comment
Have some interesting news, having just watched the game again on fox, i can tell all and sundry about the commentating and why i mentioned once before and maybe someone should be listening. Andrew Joey Johns was the guy coming up with all this crap, not Rabs and Gus, they just repeated what Joey was telling them.
Look, dont get me wrong, i said Joey should be out training youngsters, and i said he should never be allowed to commontate again, this proves my point, Here are some rippers from Johns.
I have seen Lewis, Lockyer,Slater langer, etc, seems like a rundown of queenslanders right there, and he goes on to say, but never have i seen all there talents in 1 player.(Hayne). Joey needs to give it a rest, here is another.
Daniel Anderson must be pleased by Parramattas mistake on the 20, they got back to defend that error which must be pleasing for him to see. ???? What the.
And another, all in the same game, second half, the camera is on Hayne,!! I would be taking that man off now to protect him from injury, what do you think Gus, Gus said yes the last thing you would want is injury going into finals, maybe give him a rest if the game is won around 70 minutes.
Please, can someone get this Johns off t/v before he creates another incident, he is a goose, look at the blog he has created on this site. Everything that was mentioned, came from Joey’s big mouth. Get him off t/v before he starts a riot.
Rabs and Gus were talking up Hayne, but Joey put the other thoughts in there heads, they were just repeating what Johns was dishing them up. Why is he back on t/v.
And while i am at it, i might as well mention Daley, he does the same thing when a qld team are getting beaten, he lauds up the other team like they are the only players on the feild, and he mentions players like they are Gods. These 2 need to stick to coaching, their bias is unbeleivable.
July 29th 2010 @ 4:09pm
The Barry said | July 29th 2010 @ 4:09pm | Report comment
James – Hayne’s form was so good that his coach came out and publicly questioned it…there’s a lot of games between round 1 & 17 that you don’t even rate as ‘good’ or ‘solid’. I actually said that he’s only had three GREAT games this year – not ‘good’ games. Good games and solid performances don’t warrant the love-in from Gus and Rabs on Friday.
Anyway – the point of the article wasn’t to bag Hayne – there were plenty of wraps on him throughout – the point was the commentators going berserk any time he touched the ball.
Yes all commentators get excited about great players when they’re playing well…but I’ve never heard anything like Friday night.
July 29th 2010 @ 5:28pm
oikee said | July 29th 2010 @ 5:28pm | Report comment
As i mentioned above, it was Joey’s doing not so much Rabs and Gus, monkey see monkey do scenario.
Talk about a underdog. If they win, it will be the best performance of the year.
I will point out one thing for Parra Roosters game this week-end. If Parra win, it could be the greatest performance ever by Hayne.
Here is what he is up against, Nat Myles, Origin second rower, Peace, Origin Half, Anasta, ex Origin Half, Carney, future star Half,, Nuasala, Warea Hargraves, Kiwi internationals, Moseo, future international, Minnichello, ex golden boot, Perrit, internationl kiwi winger. Same could be said for SKD, he will be in the 4 nations, so lets sum it all up, Brian Smith, super coach, ? give me that team i will win some games. All of the above, around 10 internationals or future origin stars up against Jarrod Hayne. According to the media. ????
My money is on Hayne.