- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
He may be lighting it up for the San Francisco 49ers, but Jarryd Hayne admits he doesn’t really feel like he belongs in the NFL yet.
The 27-year-old rookie has been the big talking point of the pre-season thanks to his head-turning outings against the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys.
Now heavily tipped to break into the 49ers’ final 53-man roster, Hayne has been receiving praise far and wide, including from the likes of NFL and 49ers legend Jerry Rice.
But as he prepares for his third trial match against the Denver Broncos this weekend, the former rugby league superstar still feels like the odd one out on the field with some of the game’s biggest names.
“It hasn’t happened yet,” said Hayne, when asked if he felt he belonged during a joint practice session with the Broncos in Denver.
“I’ve only been training about three or four months now, so it’s still fresh and I’m learning every day and making mistakes, and learning from my mistakes as well.
“I don’t think you ever get to a point where you get comfortable, you have to be doing it for a long, time time.”
Hayne referenced some of the challenges he faced during his first couple of weeks of training with the 49ers, a baptism of fire during which he was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new information.
“I’m just like, `What’s going on?'” he said.
“Everything was pretty much in one ear out the other. There was so much going on.
“I think anyone who’s been coached by (running backs coach) Tom Rathman, he does speak pretty fast and he’s very passionate about what he does.
“It took a bit of adjusting to understand him and get the concepts. But it’s like anything, I just hung in there.
“My faith has been at the centre of all of this. There was no way I was leaving, I was always going to fight those battles and I did. There’s been better days.”
During two practice sessions this week Hayne’s Broncos counterparts got their first close-up look at Australia’s surprise packet export, who on Thursday recovered from a tackle that left him on his arse to score a long-range touchdown.
Hayne admitted he’s been targeted a little by opposition players but laughed that some of the advice had been useful.
“When I had that run and I think it was the (Broncos) safety put a little bit extra in, they told me to `Get low 38′,” Hayne said of his unorthodox upright running style more suited to rugby league.
“So it was good advice from the boys, I appreciate that.”
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.