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Jarryd Hayne on the way to the tryline. (AAP Image/Action Photographics, Renee McKay)
How do you judge a player like Jarryd Hayne? The Parramatta fullback scored two tries in the Eels’ 34 – 14 loss to the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on Friday night, but was widely criticised over the weekend for his lack of discipline.
Former New South Wales coach and respected commentator Phil Gould even questioned whether he was fit to play State of Origin this year.
Hayne is a riddle that new Parramatta coach Stephen Kearney will struggle to solve this year.
Former coach Daniel Anderson placed all his eggs in the Hayne basket. A large part of the game plan revolved around waiting for the fullback to do something amazing.
This generally led to him overplaying his hand and the errors mounted.
Kearney prefers Hayne to be just one part of a whole, but that has seen him drift in and out of games so far, to the point where you have to check he’s still on the field.
A happy medium hasn’t been found.
Melbourne’s Billy Slater is the ideal fullback and Hayne could do worse than to copy him. There’s an argument that Slater and Hayne are different players, but they shouldn’t be.
Slater poses a constant threat. Against Penrith yesterday it appeared as though he was surgically attached to the shoulders of halfback Cooper Cronk and hooker Cameron Smith.
His ability to run off his playmakers is reminiscent of Darren Lockyer before he made the switch to five-eighth. That sort of play is rarely seen from Hayne. Most of his breaks are individual pieces of brilliance; jinks and fends create something out of nothing.
Slater, in contrast, capitalises on opportunities that are presented for him.
Is it that Eels halves Jeff Robson and Daniel Mortimer don’t order him around enough?
It’s hard to believe that Hayne is just lazy. Or is it a fear of once again overplaying his hand?
If so, then Kearney needs to alter the game plan.
Hayne should be the Eel who is constantly buzzing around his ball players. He needs to be making runs around the ruck and putting defenders in two minds.
Mortimer and Robson have offered little so far this season, to the point where the Eels attack looks completely stale.
If Hayne could inject himself, in the mould of Slater, into the attack then it would not only give them an added dimension, but also create opportunities elsewhere.
The club will, quite rightly, stick by Kearney as he addresses the on-field issues. You can only go through so many coaches before the spotlight falls squarely on the playing roster.
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