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A proposed new rugby league club, based in New York and aiming to join England’s Rugby Football League at Championship level – one tier below the Super League – have set their sights on Jarryd Hayne as a superstar signing.
The New York City Rugby League consortium want to bring in some players with NRL experience in the same way that the Toronto Wolfpack have, and as a name already known to Americans, believe Hayne would be an ideal candidate.
“Jarryd Hayne would a perfect signing for a team in New York given his background in the NFL, given his love of American sports, given the profile he has in Australia,” said Ricky Wilby, a co-founder of the bid.
“He would be a perfect fit. I’ve not spoken to Jarryd, but I would love to. It would great to meet with his agent and discuss a way forward.”
The New York team is looking to following in the foot steps of the Toronto Wolfpack by joining the English competition and bring the game of rugby league to a massive sports market in New York City.
Former NRL player Fuifui Moimoi currently plays for Toronto and will be joined by current Dave Taylor of the Canberra Raiders and Ashton Sims, who has previously played in the NRL, in 2018.
But two-time Dally M Medallist Hayne, who has played 199 NRL games, would trump them all by a significant margin and possibly attract decent media attention in America given the notoriety of his short-lived NFL career.
It’s obviously a purely hypothetical situation right now, but certainly one to keep an eye on if the New York team’s bid is accepted.
“Toronto being accepted has given the game over here (in the UK) a big shot in the arm,” said Wilby.
“We looked at their model and there’s certain aspects that we could improve.
“We wanted to base our team in New York and give, not only players, but fans an experience.”
“We want to bring rugby league to a massive sports market.”