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How is it that I can see brilliance where others see none, and flaw where others see diamond? Who, am I talking about? Jarryd Hayne, of course.
He seems a decent enough human being, and it’s not that I don’t rate him as a player. I just don’t see how everyone can rave about him as much as they do.
I’d put him on par with flash-in-the-pan Benji Marshall, but not in the same league as Billy Slater. In fact, Josh Dugan, for all his faults as a human being, is a more complete footballer than Hayne.
How can I say this, people scream at me, are you blind? Did you not see him in 2009, or in Origin Game 1, 2014? Well, I did. I saw Benji in 2005, too. What did he do after that? Throw hazy passes to the touchies, or the crowd. Was caught napping in defence, resembled a speed hump, more like, and generally sapped a huge chunk of salary cap for little reward for the Tigers.
I rate Hayne a bit above this, in that he has not really been found out, defensively, at least. But he is very hot and cold in attack. He had a stellar 2009, and was definitely the form player that year, no question. But 2010? What happened? The train derailed, the plane crashed.
2011? 2012? 2013? Where’d he go? Barely a blip on the radar, and a display cabinet full of kitchen utensils. Pretty sure he was even dropped from the Aussie side briefly in that time, too.
How can people claim he is the best, and should unseat Slater – who left Hayne looking flat-footed and slow in Game 3 – as the Aussie fullback? Pretty sure a big bloke named Greg Inglis is in his way, anyway.
Hayne isn’t actually a fullback at all. He’s a centre, or a half/hooker. He’s more like Luke Lewis than Greg Inglis, and that was Ricky Stuart’s problem with him – he had no idea how to coach him.
Not that Brad Arthur is much better, but at least Arthur doesn’t have him carrying the Eels… Oh wait, I retract that last statement.
Put Hayne in a team with Slater, Inglis, Cooper Cronk, Johnathan Thurston, Michael Jennings and he has to turn into a mixture of Dugan and Justin Hodges (read as ball-hog) to shine, otherwise he fades into obscurity. He’s about as likely to gain Immortal status as Brad Fittler or Braith Anasta.
He’s consistent when he isn’t superb, and I would pick him in any side, I just don’t think he is anywhere near as good as the media make him out to be. He’s doesn’t have Cameron Smith’s footballing mind, nor Inglis’ herculean strength and blinding speed.
So what does that make him, then? A brilliant, talented young man, who seems to actually have his head on straight, but only that.
He may even have to watch his back, because a young bloke named Matty Moylan is gunning for that blue jersey.
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