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After viewing his performances in the Indigenous All-Star game and Round 1, I actually came away optimistic about Jarryd Hayne’s prospects of returning to elite status in the NRL in 2013.
Some, if not all, of the speed and evasion were back and his intensity and involvement were up.
I began to psychologically prepare myself for the time when I’d have to recant earlier statements about him not living up to expectations.
But then Round 2 came along and Phil Gould went out of his way to help me make my point, not being shy in criticising Hayne’s lack of involvement.
It’s always been a problem, but Hayne’s moments of transcendence on the football field have previously enabled fans and members of the media to conveniently forget the weaknesses in his game.
Now, with a year under his belt to recover from injury, there are no excuses left.
Unfortunately, Hayne is still missing the point, as revealed in comments he made recently.
Yes, it’s admirable that the man is trying to take responsibility, but he clearly needs more guidance in how to become a truly influential player on the football field on a regular basis.
Hayne spoke of not taking opportunities, which brought him here:
“A bloke like Darren Lockyer was one of those captains I always enjoyed watching. When he was under the pump he’d always pull out the big play and do something special.”
No, Jarryd, he didn’t always pull out the big play.
Hayne is falling into gambler’s bias; only remembering the successful instances in order to support his argument, which seems to be that he’s not pulling off the special play when he’s supposed to.
That entirely misses the point: players like Lockyer, Andrew Johns and Allan Langer failed thousands of times in last-tackle situations. Kicks over the dead-ball line, passes to a player who was marked, being tackled trying to get over the line.
But it didn’t matter. These people played the numbers game: ask enough questions and you’ll eventually find the answer.
Jarryd Hayne has always been a rung below the game’s elite because he doesn’t understand that with his level of talent, the big play will produce itself given enough touches with the football.
I don’t know if Jarryd reads this website. Nor for that matter Ricky Stuart. But the directive should be clear: demand the ball, don’t worry about being “special”, and get involved. As often as possible.
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