I always knew that the only way Jarryd Hayne would ever leave my beloved Parramatta Eels would be to play NFL.
With the recent rumours flying around I suspected the switch was coming, I just never expected it to be so soon – I thought it would be after the 2015 season when his current contract with Parramatta was up.
Have we seen the last of Jarryd Hayne in the NRL? I hope not.
I think Hayne will pursue his dream of playing NFL for a few years and then come back and finish his sporting career where it all started, at Parramatta.
It makes me sad to think that there’s a possibility that we could have seen Hayne play his last game in the NRL though.
So what does this mean for the Parramatta Eels?
Life after Hayne will be hard for the club. Anyone who puts on that number 1 jersey for the Blue and Gold will be compared to Hayne for years to come. They have very big shoes to fill.
The Eels relied on Hayne so much in attack that we will probably see a whole new attacking plan from them next year.
The club finally has some stability which is a good thing. Brad Arthur is the right man to take the club through the post-Hayne phase.
It’s a little disappointing to see a player of Hayne’s class leave the Eels at a time where there’s so much hope of success. However I can understand his reasons for doing it and could never hold that against him. He needs to chase his dreams.
The conditional release is just as much for the Eels as it is for Hayne. Who knows, he may need to exercise that clause at some stage next year.
As a Parramatta Eels fan, I’m hoping that it doesn’t work out and he’s back before the season starts next year.
As a Jarryd Hayne fan, I’m hoping he’s able to get a contract in the NFL and surprises America with his freakish talent, just like he did when he burst onto the NRL scene in 2006.
fazed
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Two things come to me with this decision that Jarryd has made. 1: Is it better to have a player who seeks greater pathways that make him a better person, or one who is just content to play along each year, doing well & be highly respected while also being put down as Jarryd has been by both Parramatta & other fans as well, then retire after so many years, & then be just another retired RL player? What I see in this move, is someone who likes to have challenges in his life that is not just based on the almighte $$, rather from the perspective of pursuing a dream, or an early ambition that has been part of his life. That Jarryd has had a desire for sometime now to try out the NFL & see if he can crack it has been well known for some time. At his age he knows that its either now or never, had he chosen not to go & try to crack it, any latter & he would be too old, even now its not going to be easy going in cold turkey without the years of training & learning that goes into the sport. In tne end, maybe he will find that he does really like the NFL, along with the glitz of it & end up back at Parramatta. 2: My one big hope is that the #1 jersey does not end up a poisoned chalice like the #7 after Sterlo hung up his boots. Players of both calibres come along all too rarelly, but when they dominate their positions it makes it very hard for the new candidates to succeed owing to the expectancy of the fans. There are players of high quality that can fill Jarryd's position, & some may be available right now, whereas others not so, & its going to take a lot of thought from Brad Arthour as well as the whole recrutiment staff in regards to that decision. Should they choose a younger quality player at the same roughish age as Hayne, such as Bronco's Hoffman who would be a good replacement, of an older one such as Brett Stewart should he be replaced. To go with the former gives a stable longer term security to the position, but if Jarryd does not make it in the U.S & as he has said he will know by end of 2015, & he decides to return to the NRL at Parramatta, will he be eying his old position again? A headache for the club, but could be a good one.