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When it was announced last year that Jarryd Hayne was contemplating a return to the NRL from NFL and the San Francisco 49ers, so many people foolishly thought that this automatically meant the prodigal son would return to the Parramatta Eels.
What’s that old saying about assuming? It makes an ass out of you and me.
To be fair, the appeared to be in favour of Hayne returning ‘home’. For the Eels, it had been the year from hell featuring salary cap scandals, off-field misbehaviour and a season-ending injury to key signing Keiran Foran.
With Nathan Peats (and several other players) offloaded so Parra could continue to play for points in 2016, it really did look like there was room for Hayne, particularly when the salary cap position for the club was considered in 2017.
And then it was announced that Jarryd had signed with the Gold Coast Titans, becoming the most significant signing in the club’s short history.
After that announcement, people asked me how I felt and I responded that I was pleased. As an Eels fan, I did not want Jarryd back at Parramatta, and watching the NRL over the weekend further cemented that view.
Jarryd Hayne is undoubtedly one of the most talented players I have ever had the opportunity to watch. I have had the special privilege of watching him grow from an 18-year-old rookie into one of the greatest players our game has ever seen.
I always knew he was talented, but in 2009 – when the team won seven games in a row to go from second last to playing in the grand final against Melbourne – was when everyone else learnt it too. His mastery of the fullback position, his strength and speed gave him the ability to turn a game on its head in a moment and made him such a wonderful player to watch.
That season was the last time that Parramatta played finals football.
In the seasons to come, Jarryd was accused of drifting in and out of games and not ‘performing’ every week. What I saw during those years was a Parramatta team that shirked responsibility to Hayne, depending on hinm week-in and week-out to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
We were a team that depended on one individual and it made other players complacent and stunted their development.
If Hayne was not firing, neither were the Eels.
Jarryd left at the end of 2014 to pursue his NFL dream. Like most other fans, I wished him well and was grateful for the tremendous service he had given our club.
While some thought that Hayne was irreplaceable, it soon became clear that the team had moved on. This was underlined in season 2016, when, despite the walls closing in around them, the Eels showed a tenacity and resilience on the field that had been sorely lacking in recent seasons. No longer was complacency or shirking responsibility an option – every playetr had a responsibility to the other members of the team because without each other, that squad had very little.
Then on the weekend, the Eels stormed home to a 20-12 win over the Manly Sea Eagles. There is plenty of room for improvement, but what I saw was a far more balanced team and a group of men that work together to get the best outcome.
Corey Norman scored a try, set one up, kicked a 40-20 and controlled the team from beginning to end. Bevan French showed his usual speed from behind, Clint Gutherson had plenty of touches, Semi Radradra was ferocious in defence, and Suaia Matagi looked much better when he decided to use his feet instead of running directly towards Martin Taupau.
Parramatta no longer look to one person and that has made us a stronger team.
Now on to Jarryd himself. There have been a couple of things in recent weeks which have been less than impressive.
Sport is a business. I understand this. Many careers are cut short due to injury, so players must take every opportunity to earn as much as they can during their careers.
However, before a ball had even been kicked this year, Hayne expressed an interest to play rugby in France when his two-year contract with the Titans expires. In fact, a move could happen earlier, as Jarryd has an option in his favour for next season.
Jarryd should explore all his options before penning a new deal, but to see him already thinking about the next step was disappointing.
There are also rumours bubbling that Jarryd was fined by his Titans teammates because he did not meet team standards during the pre-season. While Jarryd denies this happened, he did tweet “loose lips sink ships” a couple of days ago. Read into that what you will.
Loose lips sinks ships!
— jarryd hayne (@JarrydHayne) March 5, 2017
The fact of the matter is, no one player is bigger than any club and the strength of an organisation is reflected in all its moving pieces.
During Saturday’s game between the Titans and Roosters, rugby league looked like the last thing on Hayne’s mind. As a fan, I’m not interested in that. My players have a responsibility to themselves and their fans to give their best every weekend.
It’s the same lack of interest and enthusiasm which I saw filtering through the Eels when Hayne was there, and it is something I never want to see again.
As for Jarryd, he remains one of the greatest players our game has ever seen and I have every confidence that he will return to that form during this year. I’m just glad that it’s not at the Parramatta Eels.