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I’m well aware of the how important it was the Parramatta Eels win Saturday night’s game against the Warrirors, however I’m glad that Jarryd Hayne sat the match out.
I’d prefer he rest rather than have him play and injure himself like he did against the Roosters when backing up after Origin last year.
And I’m angry. Not because of the Eels’ performance in the first half, but because of the hate on social media for Hayne.
The biggest factor that has to come into play is player welfare. NRL rules state that teams will have at least five days in between games, yet we expect Origin players to back up a few days after playing a game far more intense and brutal than a normal NRL game.
If Hayne played on Saturday night, he would have played three games in nine days, with one of those games overseas and in another time zone. Hayne would have returned from Blues camp and hopped straight on a flight to New Zealand. That must take a toll on the body.
Hayne played Origin with strapping on his knee, indicating a niggling injury. I’m sure the Eels’ medical staff thought it best to rest him rather than risk a serious injury.
Then there’s the fact Hayne has not been around to train with the team. Normally Hayne would be able to just slot straight back into the team structure, however this week we saw a new-look Eels team due to the amount of injuries the squad has. With Hayne not at training to work on combinations with players he doesn’t normally play with, it was probably best he didn’t play.
We will never know whether Hayne playing would have changed the outcome for the Eels. It was a risk Brad Arthur took and I agree with him taking it. I’d much rather sacrifice our best player for one game than have him sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the season.
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