Hayne deserves more respect

Rebecca Wilson is a Murdoch mouthpiece, best ignored. There is a strong streak of jealousy in this thread. The kid is brilliant. Live with it. By the way, as for what Clive Churchill's widow is alleged to have said, I read Churchill's autobiography "They called me the Little Master." I definitely got the impression he was annoyed at being stopped from earning money in England. He could not say too much because he had a future as a coach here and "Little Hitlers" ran the game then as they do now.

Hey thanks for the support guys I appreciate it. Daniel - wow you got me. I am yet to develop or nurture any players. That also doesn't mean I can't spot talent. I can. Hayne is talented. I never said he wasn't. I did not mean it in a harsh way that Hayne is replaceable. If you read my article from last week I do fully acknowledge that Hayne is a very good player and gives a lot to the game. In saying that, it is true that every player is replaceable. While it is hard to see some go, there is always someone else ready to fill their boots. Even right now there is talk that young Josh Dugan deserves NSW fullback over Hayne... who by the way isn't even fullback. A better example is Sonny Bill. It just frustrates me when people say Sonny Bill has yet to be replaced - it's a lie. Firstly, the Bulldogs have been better off without him and secondly, there are plenty of great young forwards out there who have more than once proven they are just as good as Williams, if not better because they can play a whole season. I am a supporter of one of the most broken teams in the comp - the Broncos. They are always losing players to other clubs or codes. I have never said Hunt is irreplaceable. Yes, it was very hard to watch him go and it has been even harder watching the season progress the way it has without him. But Hoffman will get there eventually. Petero and Webcke left years ago and we are yet to see that same aggression in the forwards. Taylor came close, then left. It doesn't mean that soon Gillett or Kenny won't be that quality front row player we need. Sorry to offend - but Jarryd Hayne is and always will be replaceable.

The main problem is News Limited paying base price for rugby league because of the settlement when the SuperLeague war ceased. They had to recoup the costs of the SuperLeague war by paying unders for TV rights over the next 15-20 years. This will only be fixed once the next TV deal is signed for 2013 onwards. They also pay less for TV rights because they're heavily subsidising the Melbourne Storm.

Lets face the facts - out of the 4 footballing codes in Australia, Rugby League is the toughest. Yet in terms of renumeration for its stars, it ranks as number 4.... Consider this further when the NRL competition has 26 regular rounds (more than the AFL and Super 14s), not including rep games and finals. Few rugby league players are well paid (in isolation to the other codes) - but the minimun salary is $55k - you could earn more working at woolies! Does this really make sense to anyone? The players have every right to be upset. Dont blame the players for complianing, blame the administrators for negoiating such a bad tv deal!

Jarryd Hayne deserves no more, or no less, respect than any other player. Since Jarryn Hayne has become the pinnup boy for the daily telegraph, he has started to speak out on various issues, as if he now has some sort of mandate from the public to speak on behalf of rugby league, as if his opinion is now more important than it once was and more important than others. I don't mind Jarryd's bright yellow boots, and I think he is a fine player, but frankly I am sick of seeing double page spreads of how wonderful Jarryd Hayne runs God-like over the turf, that he is a "Freak". Players like Sam Thaiday, Michael Weyman, Nathan Cayless, Luke Bailey and many others are just as responsible for a team winning but don't get the coverage that they derserve, and all these are players who certainly deserve respect. As to do with respect, his diving allegations in 2007 against Melbourne and Brisbane, and the Kings Cross incedent in 2008, raise doubt as to whether he deserves the respect you speak of.

Every player is replaceable otherwise wouldn’t league have cratered the day good old dally messenger hung up his boots. He is a quality player but so are many others and so will be many more juniors over the years. If he leaves the world of rugby league will go on just like it has for every other player that has left the game.

Bit harsh Daniel. I enjoy watching what Hayne can do on a field, but... I agree, Hayne is replaceable. They all are. For all the people calling Hayne a superstar, I beg to differ. He is a young bloke who strung together some good/great games last year. When Hayne does plays like the back end of last year for about 5+ years, maybe then he will be a superstar. At the moment, it very much looks like he is an above average player who played quite well, and took his club to the finals last year, only to have a quite start to the year this year. Not much superstar stuff happening at the moment is there? Been fairly quite this year really. If he or any of the so called "Superstars" playing these days go elsewhere, London to a brick, some other brash youngster will fill in, and be the League's darling in no time. I am not saying he isn't good, but I have never seen a bigger bunch of bandwagon jumping supporters than the NRL. Seriously, apparently, all you need to do is have half a good season, and you are a automatically a superstar. As for complaining about only receiving 4 tickets for the international game... Well, really... says it all doesn't it?

Well Daniel I for one believe Rikki-Lee is correct. Hayne is replaceable and so are many others of his ilk. Remember when the game was going to implode when the NRL stars left for rugby in droves? Salior, Rogers, Tuquri, Gasiner, Sonny-Bill, how on earth did league survive? Seeing as you question Rikki-Lee’s ability to “develop and nurture players over the years” – can you list the players that you have developed and nurtured into legends of league?

Jarryd? Is that you? At the end of the day, every single player in the comp is replaceable. They have to be - because even if they're not heading to the UK or various Rugby clubs around the world, they'll eventually have to retire. Players leaving the game is a necessity to make way for the young up and comers. A mass exodus would obviously damage the game, but it would rebuild, as it did post Superleague. As I said above, I like Jarryd Hayne, but nobody is bigger than the game. It'd suck to see him go, but you're not going to see any fans pull their support for the Eels/Blues/Kangaroos/Rugby League in favour of watching Hayne play whatever sport he might sign with. They'd just get behind Luke Burt and keep their eye out for the next freakish young talent to come from a junior system that's noted for producing them. On the flipside, if he stays in the game, he has a chance of writing himself into the history books as more than just a guy who had a couple of amazing seasons and a couple of indifferent ones.

Cool.. well now that you have let us know that Hayne is replaceable, as you obviously have an eye for player talent, and no doubt have helped develop and nurture players over the years, I'll stop thinking that Hayne has a long career ahead of me. Heres silly me, thinking that players grow into legend status and therefore must be given time to develop the obvious talents that they posses..... experience particularly aides this..... but no, you being the expert you are must be right. Hayne is replaceable, he's just another average player that happened to fluke a few good games.

As most people have pointed out, Lockyer and Civoniceva are a lot more respected than Hayne because they deserve to be. They also haven't said what Hayne has said. Hayne called for change like they did. Fair enough. But then he whinged about unneccessary things such as only receiving four free tickets for his family but calling to be paid more. Where does he think some of the money comes from? Ticket sales and merchandise. If all the tickets are going for free to his family then how can he expect more money? I wrote an article about this not long ago, about how disappointed I was in Hayne's complaints. I don't think Gallop will care much if Hayne leaves. He is actually replaceable. He's not even first choice fullback for Australia or NSW (at the moment). As for Cameron Smith, well I loved the guy and I'm not even a Storm supporter, but he is worse then Hayne. People are right - he should be keeping his mouth closed about money right now when he's been receiving a lot more then the rest of the NRL for the past five years. Also just for the record Hayne hasn't been the only one "bashed" in the media - Smith has too.

So your trying to tell us that that a player with only half a season of good football behind them and a big mouth should be respected. I got a Habour bridge I would like to sell if you belive that.

It's all in how it's presented. There's an interview in RLW with Alan Tongue, where he talks about the salary cap, concessions, and the idea of a draft. But he doesn't take sarcastic jabs at the administration, threaten to take his bat and ball and go home, and most of all, is humble about expressing his opinion. I love the guy, but I don't necessarily agree with some of his opinions. Hayne on the other hand, is a fantastic talent, but his attitude still stinks. I admit to liking the guy. I even have a big banner with his name on it that we took to the grand final last year. I think he learned a lot from his experiences in the Cross in 2008 (?) but still has a long way to go. Cameron Smith is another beast altogether. I *used* to have a lot of respect for the guy, but the fact that he's shown no humility or remorse in the face of the Storm's cap cheating has really changed my opinion of him. Well actually, it's been on the slide for a while, because he has a lot of niggle in his game, and never gets called out on it.

Brett I agree in regards to the RLPA. The RLPA is a lame duck kept in the NRL's back pocket. They have done very little to represent players to the point the players themselves have to do the talking for them. I'd love to see the RLPA stand up and ensure all players from the super stars to the lowest paid get an increase from next year and up until the new TV deal in 2013. In regards to Hayne's comments, imho the players are paid less than the AFL boys and as they generate equal TV ratings they deserve equal pay, which is all they are asking for. It's easier to hear it from an experienced player like Petro but they are all saying the same thing, they deserve an equal pay like the other codes, and they do.

I am not an Eels fan nor a Hayne fan. I don't think the players need any more money nor do I think that someone deserves respect by virtue of their position. Having said that there is nothing wrong with asking for more money from your employers and to be denigrated for doing what just about every other worker does from time to time is well rude really. Key offender is that oxygen thief Rebecca Wilson over at the DT who tried to draw a parallel between an amateur rower (that is a high level competitor in a sport which makes no money at all for anyone) and a professional enterprise like the NRL. She suggests that Hayne should be grateful to league because apparently his form in back end of last season has ensured that he will not get shot at in the Cross anymore. She implies that he is an illiterate moron and that he would be a labourer if it were not for football. I reckon he could be a sports journalist. It is worth noting that when I asked (in the comments) Wilson if she derides players for wanting to be paid more for playing sport how much does she get paid to watch sport, the comment didn't get published.

there was a similarly titled article on The Roar here a few weeks ago suggesting that Anthony Mundine deserved our respect too. I didn't get to reply to that one, but I'll say the same thing here. NO athlete DESERVES my respect. Plenty earn it over time, but none deserve it up front. Jarryd Hayne, like Mundine, will get my respect when he earns it in MY mind, and not a minute before. On his side of the fence, he's one of most talented players in the game, and I admire the ways he plays. But once he's back on my side of the fence, he's just another human being. Like all other human beings on my side of the fence, I get to decide who gets my respect. The players, in my opinion, are walking a very fine line currently between outright greed and "looking after the game", and happily, the voice of reason is coming in the form of Petero Civoneceiva (and also, surprisingly, Willie Mason). Petero is the first player to come out and say that the lower teir players need to looked after just as much as the top teir, and it's a point being missed in all this debate. These are the sorts of comments that will earn respect, not the "poor me" bleatings of someone who just signed a $2M contract. Hayne might take the time to realise that his massive contract has possibly played a part in his "mates" Meteo and Inu moving to New Zealand next year. And I'm glad to see the players are starting to make demands for action of their own Association, rather than the game directly. If the RLPA had any clout, they'd be negotiating a proper CBA that spreads the money made by the game to ALL players, and particulalry those on minimum contracts. State cricketers across the country are better off because their CBA ensures a percentage of Cricket Australia revenue is used for player payments. It means that the minimum state contract has gone up significantly since it was introduced, and allows these players to be full-time cricketers, and not having to juggle training and part time work. In my mind, it's the obvious example for the RLPA.

Yeah, pretty sure everyone's said it. Lockyer and Civoniceva are respected by fans, but also every single other player in footy. They've been around, they're coming to the end of their careers and are really only interested in their younger teammates and the younger players. They want what's best for the game. Whereas Jarryd Hayne is just an over-rated 22 year old who can't even put a sentence together. Who are you gonna listen to?

Not just more money -give me unlimited tickets to the test match I'm playing on the wing