There’s been a trend recently among rugby league columnists declaring Jarryd Hayne to be the greatest player in the world. People, please, settle down.
Hayne is a good player, possibly even a great player, but to call him the best in the world is a little extreme.
Yes Hayne has grown in both ability and maturity in the last couple of years. He still has the strength and the pace of his younger self but he has tempered it with an ability to better chose his moments. As Kenny Rogers would put it, Hayne now has mastered the art of “know[ing] when to hold them and know[ing] when to fold them”.
He can run, kick, pass, tackle, break the line with consistency and kick one hell of a drop out. He also seems to be reining in the petulance that was for so long a major feature of his game – the semi-permanent pout and the certainty that as soon as a call went against him or the video referee flashed the “no try” sign that Hayne would take his ball and go home.
As far as players go he’s pretty much the full package. But the greatest player in the game? Please. He’s not even the greatest fullback.
This week pundits started with the ‘best in the world’ cries when Hayne put in a starring performance in a tight game to get his team over the line.
What wasn’t mentioned is that tight game was against Canberra – a broken team with a poor coach who would struggle against a 17 you put together with your mates at a barbecue.
These pundits talk up the Parramatta outfit as genuine contenders after a win against the certain wooden spooners. They tell us that it’s ok for your team to be a one man outfit if that man is Jarryd Hayne, while ignoring the glaring hypocrisy of telling us in the past that South Sydney are too reliant on Greg Inglis, North Queensland on Johnathan Thurston, Cronulla on Paul Gallen, Melbourne on Cameron Smith, Team X on Player Y and so on.
Anyone that watched the game on Friday night would have seen the sublime duel between two of the greatest fullbacks of the modern era – Brett Stewart versus Greg Inglis. In a game of one versus two, with the minor premiership on the line, these two put on a textbook display of fullback play – sensational catches, brilliant cover tackles to deny certain tries, line breaks, offloads and pinpoint cutout passes.
Is Hayne better than these two? Considering the Eels haven’t beaten either Souths or Manly this year, the answer is ‘probably not’.
But people aren’t calling Hayne the greatest fullback. They’re calling him the greatest player. They’re calling him better than Sam Burgess, who put in a dominant performance against the premiership favourites and after 70 minutes of tackling and hard running, outpaced a team of noted speedsters to a loose ball then scored the game sealing try.
They’re calling him better than Johnathan Thurston, who had the ball on a string on Saturday night in such a dominant show of skill that he was literally pulling off trick shots.
They’re calling him better than Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, who have won pretty much everything there is to win and have so consistently for the better part of a decade.
Better than Jamie Lyon or Kieran Foran or Daly Cherry-Evans.
Better than Sonny Bill Williams, who single handedly dragged the tri-colours to a premiership, minor and major, in season 2013.
Jarryd Hayne is a brilliant player, and certainly deserves his place among these names as one of the best in the game. But he is not the best. Not by a long shot. And those saying otherwise might do well to take off their blue and gold tinted glasses and see where Parramatta sit on the ladder.
Garth Jones
Roar Rookie
When people say voted as the best in his game by his peers there should be an *Asterisk noting the voting was done by 100 NRL players. There is no mention of whether it is the top 100 NRL players or 100 Toyota Cup Players (who are classed as playing in the NRL). Any debate about who is the greatest player will always be in the eye of the beholder, in this case I'm sad that the author forgot to mention Dane Carlaw who singlehandedly won two state of origin matches for QLD.
Chuznut
Guest
As always Brett, you've really added to the conversation with your unbiased opinion. How about for once, you back up your opinion, rather than just trolling. Though I don't deny that over the last 5 or 10 years, there have been times where Brett Stewart has been the better player of the two, what attributes at this point in time in their careers do you think makes Brett Stewart a better player than Hayne, and more deserving of all of the plaudits and rep honours?
brett the manly fan
Guest
Brett Stewart is the best player in the world by a long way. Should be Australian fullback and NSW not Hayne's!
Jay C
Roar Guru
What about DCE and Hayne v Cronk and Slater?
Jay C
Roar Guru
I am impressed that you funneled that through the mods.
Jay C
Roar Guru
If teams losing is a yard stick of how an individual is playing then how do you explain why Parramatta are godawful all of the time.
Jack
Guest
I think you should look at some of the players you have mentioned in this ridiculous article damisn (idiot) as some of them should not even be mentioned when comparing to jarryd hayne. He is only 26 and has not peaked yet as a player. He has all the skills. He has a longer boot than any of the players mentioned. Whilst he is nowhere as precise he still has ability with the boot and can kick field goals. Every year at the end of season stays you find hayne a lot higher in the try assist column than he should and that's as a running fullback in a dismal side that only rely on him. He has made more freakish try saving tackles than any one you have mentioned and I can't even remember a time when I have been worried when your little jt or cooper trooper have put a high ball up too him. He is faster off the mark and over the length of the field than all. His ability to step and break tackles none can compare, not even Greg inglis with hayne breaking some 20 odd more tackles in origins than big gi. He led a side of nobodies into a grand final and was tarnished when the eels didn't win to the salary cap breaching storm. He is on the verge of winning his second dally m with the only to win three the great andrew johns and still having plenty of years to add to that tally once again where his side struggles and he misses games due to injury and representative commitments. He should of got player of the series in this years origin if it wasn't for the love of Paul gallen. He has won numerous players player of the series for the blues and as you stated shared in the World Cup playing out of position. He has won man of the matches at all levels of football. Now that is his ability but what also should be added is jarryd is a true lover of the game. He has a massive heart and will pull on his teams colours and go out there and play for that team. He isn't going to walk out on clubs. Walk out on the game. Walk out on his teammates. He leaves everything on the field. His hate is very confusing cause I don't understand what people want more than loyalty, professionalism and raw ability in a role model for their children. He is not going to go something stupid and get banned. He does not get involved with the medias "arrogance" calls just cause everyone envies the great man. As he has matured he has became an instrumental leader and I believe will captain his state and country in years to come. His situation is similar to michael clarkes a few years ago and look at what he has achieved. To you damisn sit back and watch the next 7/8 years of Haynes dominance on the rugby league field because it is going to be one great career as his personal achievements will stockpile and the majority articles of the hayne haters will begin to silence as more and more are posted about why he is the best in the game. Give the man a break his already great journey has only just begun.
Knights7
Guest
@damisn smith I need you to do something Find a scrabble set and consume all of the pieces with letters on them. Once you have done that find the strongest laxatives that you can buy and take them also. Then once you shit them all out post what they say on this blog you dumb piece of shit. All aboard the hayne plane!!
Richmo21
Guest
Thanks Renegade, they both don't get it......and Jay C says Cronk is "playing out of this world"? in a sense that is correct coz he probably was at Jupiter when Storms lost against Knights :-) hehe...
Adam
Guest
Doing well in the Dally M awards is made easier being a stand out good player in an average or under performing team
mattray
Guest
Did Inglis play origin this year? Dugan made him look non existent even scoring a try. Inglis is past it and is now a tall version of Matt bowen
Muzz
Guest
Good article Damisn. I would like to see Hayne in a team like Manly, Souths or the Roosters for 26 rounds.IMO his game would go to another level. It's hard to say any one player is the best in the world but i would have him in the top 5, every day of the week. If i had to choose between having DCE and Slater OR Cronk and Hayne, i would choose the latter.
Rod
Guest
Wow what did Dugan do in Origin. Inglis has been rock solid this year. Yeah he is not starring on you tube. He has played tough and has been very good for the bunnies so far.
Knobby
Guest
Lol yeah it has that ring of hater about it
mattray
Guest
This is the worst article in Roar history. Jarryd Hayne must of slept with damian smiths wife, sister and mother. There is no other excuse for this garbage that I just read.
Parrafan
Guest
Yeah I think if you make a play at Hayne's character and than stand Parker up as a great bloke I think you might lack that something. From all reports he is a bit like King Wally of the field, no time for a lot of people.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
You're not Robinson Crusoe on Parker, that's for sure. I still think he's underrated, despite all the wraps he gets. Not much chop as a bloke though, I hear. Apparently a lot of people who like him don't know him.
Jackson Henry
Roar Guru
Just to clarify - this bloody lack of context and non-verbal cures on opinion forums might be at play here - that last comment from me wasn't actually sarcastic or anything. I didn't actually see the game. Just seemed like JT was in the middle of everything from the highlight reel? I saw a couple of try assists and line-break assists, so I was surprised you didn't give him any votes in your analysis. And I was also wondering how you knew he didn't actually get any votes from the judges! Anwyay, there you go.
The eye
Guest
of course,thats just my opinion..in the tone of 'no soup.....'you watched the game jh,how would you have voted ?
jj
Guest
Good article to balance Pritchard's piece on Hayne. Jarryd Hayne is a talented playerin my opinion,but lacks something as a man that others with his abilities do not. I would also like to highlight the exceptional abilities of Corey Parker and as far as past players go ..... who can ever forget King Wally (and I am a NewSouthWelshwoman)?