The media in the last few weeks has been awash with articles wondering who will be the next rugby league star to make the jump to the NFL.
Swarms of NFL talent scouts are reportedly on their way to our shores to rip our talent away.
But just who will be the next man to don the helmet and shoulder pads you ask? The answer – nobody.
That’s not to say our NRL stars don’t have the physical attributes to make the grade, but it’s the intangibles that make the difference.
Jarryd Hayne is a rare breed, for a variety of reasons.
Having worked with professional players at high profile sporting organisations I was constantly baffled at how they see their careers. No one really cares about their legacy. At the end of the day it’s about how much they can make from their careers and everything else is a bonus from there.
That’s the nature of the beast and in a way you understand it. Professional sport stars are assets who depreciate over time and it’s about maximising return in a small window.
They play a highly physical sport that replicates a car crash multiple times each game day. With every week, miles come off the clock, and with some, as we’ve seen recently, careers can vanish in a heartbeat.
I understand the need for financial security to be important, but sometimes you wish ambition was higher on the agenda.
Ambition is what has fuelled Hayne’s quest for an NFL dream. Sure he has come from a solid financial base, he’s made good money in his NRL career so far, but it can be argued that he’s left just when he was really ready to cash in.
Not to mention the fact that he turned his back on more common destinations beyond the NRL, such as Japanese or European rugby, which present higher financial returns than the NRL and at considerably less risk than the NFL.
Hayne had an ambition to leave a legacy, something he wasn’t prepared to trade for money and that is unique. He’s on a guaranteed contract of just $100,000, which will become around $400,000 should he make the San Francisco 49ers’ 53-man roster.
It’s expected his income will jump considerably through endorsements if and when he makes the final roster, given the NFL doesn’t have limitations on third party sponsors like the NRL, but his income, at least initially, still won’t dwarf his NRL contract.
It’s a significant risk to lay it all on the line, with the odds firmly stacked against you.
There are plenty of hurdles to jump in the NFL before you’re even on parity with what you’re already making in the NRL. It’s quite apt that Hayne was a champion hurdler in his youth, because he’s made the task look easy.
He doesn’t fear the big occasion, in fact he lives for it. Professional sport stars fall in one of two categories. Some react to pressure like ‘deer in the headlights’, others aren’t fazed by anything.
All the greats have that special something which blurs the line between confidence and arrogance – Cristiano Ronaldo, James LeBron and Michael Jordan are prime examples. All have a cocky swagger and a self belief that tells them ‘nobody is better’.
Hayne is that player and you can change the posts, the uniform, the rules and the shape of the football, but he’ll still find a way to compete and succeed. We saw that on his State of Origin debut or in his youth at the Parramatta Eels when he was thrown into a one-on-one session with World Champion boxer Danny Green to ‘test his character’.
In all conquests Hayne showed no fear and it’s that approach that has won him so many admirers so far on his NFL journey. As someone who worked closely with Israel Folau during his stint with the Greater Western Sydney Giants, I’ve witnessed a great athlete try to learn a new sport.
Folau is a special athlete, the rarest breed. But he did not have a passion for AFL. Folau worked hard, he wanted to succeed, but deep down it just wasn’t in him.
Hayne has a love for the NFL. He immersed himself in the game long before he made the decision to make it his occupation. Whether that was watching every game of every round, playing Madden on Xbox, forming a friendship with Reggie Bush or having secret training sessions with UTS – he made it his life.
No one else in the NRL would be willing to take the risk Jarryd Hayne has.
They are too financially secure, they lack the self belief, they lack a true passion for the game or they simply let fear get in the way. Hayne is a one of a kind specimen. Forged in working class roots, with assets you cannot teach or replicate.
Will another talent of similar ilk emerge from the rugby league world? I would say it is highly unlikely.
The Hayne Plane will fly the flag alone, quite simply because he is the only one who can.
dropkick
Guest
Most yanks ive met hate nrl they are more interested in rugby which is obvious as one has a decent amount of support good on hayne but the nrl people going on hes a league player ffs and acting like they will all follow nfl is a bit odd .the interest will drop if hes not good or the 49ers are useless which is a good chance .he could get injured see how many keep watching it
G
Guest
You're kidding yourself if you think A-League players are anywhere near as athletic as NRL players. They wouldn't get up from a hit. Not having a go at soccer, just your ridiculous comment.
Radelaide
Guest
I wouldn't say he's taken that big a risk giving up his nrl contract, after all if he doesn't make the roster he'll just come back to the contract or even a bigger one now that his profile is bigger and the nrl have signed a billion dollar tv rights deal since he's been gone.
John
Guest
Hi Adam, Thanks for the write-up. One of the more balanced assessments. He played very very well against San Diego but what he has not done much yet - in any of his preseason games - is go up against the opposing starters. On the Union side, it's kinda sad hearing rugby promote their match by talking up Hayne. My two cents, anyway. You sum it up well - a unique and gifted player, perhaps a top three or top five NRL player, trying to switch codes. Does NOT mean everyone else can do it.
Kirk
Guest
What's most satisfying about the Hayne story is the AFL and Unions trolls all screaming "what about us?! what about us?!"
The Bush
Roar Guru
Who's James LeBron?
bear54
Fantastique!!!
Working Class Rugger
Guest
The NFL won't be their only threat. French Rugby have just signed 10 kids out of HS in Fiji. The youngest one being 14.
bear54
The NRL scouts and All Black coaches will be forced to take a back seat when the NFL guys with their US dollars and scholarships head to the pacific and start dragging the next Jarryd Hayne, Israel Folau, Sonny Bill Williams and Ma's Nonu back to college football.
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Settle down children. This isn't about Rugby vs League. It's about an individual. His presence isn't going to change anything. All that may happen now is a new competitor for talent may enter the local market but that's it. Americans aren't going to tune in on mass to watch the NRL. If anything we'll see a lot more young guys getting picked up for College ball and developed further.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Because Phillnz is a typical rugby union supporter trolling on a league thread at every chance with negative offensive comments. And hypocritical when rugby union is currently using the Hayne thing to sell interest in their US game.
Brando Connor
Guest
Cathar Treize *you* are a trolling goose. What are you having a go at Rugby Union for?
AlanKC
Guest
Nicely balanced Phill, a chip on both shoulders...
jamesb
Guest
"Jaryd Hayne has done this all on his own , with the NRL jumping on the band wagon" That's absolute bullcrap. If anything, its the Wallabies who are jumping on the bandwagon where they are "happy to claim him as a Rugby player".
Niall
Guest
I don't believe this is about legacy for Jarryd. He's gone to the NFL with his eyes wide open. He knows he'll only be a role player in the NFL at the very best. This is about him doing something that he wants to do, not what people think of him.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Phillnz, you are a trolling goose. Funny the Wallabies are promoting their Chicago match saying "Come see 30 Jarryd Haynes". What a laugh when all they'll see is one ex NRL star & 29 Matt Dunnings
nerval
Guest
What an ill-tempered outburst, Phillnz. Why do you "probably have a better chance in the A-League and or Aussie rules players than a Rugby League player?" Who said that Americans do "give a hoot" for the NRL? Incidentally, do they give more of a hoot for the AFL? In what way, shape or form have the NRL been "jumping on the bandwagon?" What precisely have they done? And what if they were to jump on this bandwagon anyway? What would be wrong in them trying to promote their sport or their best athletes in the USA? Is it only the AFL or other sports that should be allowed to do this? Do they need your permission, or something?
Phillnz
Guest
American scouts aren't interested in Rugby League players. Thy are interested in Athletes and those that possess specific skill sets , you probably have a better chance in the A-League and or Aussie rules players than a Rugby League player. Americans don't give a hoot about the NRL. Its Aussie Rugby League media trumping rugby league , like articles on the roar. American Football scouts have been down this way for years , they are more interested in younger players they can shape and have transfer skills that can cross. Jaryd Hayne has done this all on his own , with the NRL jumping on the band wagon , he has had the deep burning desire to go out of his comfort zone , thats why he is a class athlete.