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Back in the day, where possession in rugby league was always able to be challenged (think scrums against the feed, tapping the ball forward when there were no markers, challenging in the play the ball), ball security was an integral part of being a ball carrier.
Fast forward to the modern game of league. Since the introduction of the ball-stripping rule in 1991, the onus on ball security has significantly diminished.
Players can now clumsily drop the ball and point at the nearest opposition player with a look of innocence, only to be rewarded by an otherwise occupied referee who has to make a 50-50 judgement call.
This is the era that a young Jarryd Hayne grew up in when playing and at times dominating the game. He could make damaging runs, using a swerve, fend and a step while safe in the knowledge that should more than one defender attempt to tackle him they could not make a significant play at the ball.
Fast forward to 2015. Hayne is now at the San Francisco 49ers attempting to return punts. In the NFL there are no rules against stripping the ball. Quite the opposite – it is actively encouraged, and players regularly and en masse chop at a ball carriers’ hands in the hope of dislodging the ball.
Ball carriers are taught at different times to cradle the ball with one hand, and place the other on top of it to ensure the opposition can’t dislodge it from your grasp. This affects your balance as both arms are occupied, and takes away the fend – both important weapons in the arsenal of a ball runner.
Hayne has never had to be preoccupied with maintaining possession to this extent in the past.
In the NFL, possession is king. To have fumbled three times in six games is a cardinal sin. (Admittedly, his second fumble was only 50 per cent his fault.)
His third fumble noticeably affected Hayne’s confidence – for the rest of the game he either took fair catches or was so focussed on not losing the ball his yardage was of secondary concern and therefore minimal. Gone was the decisive swerve and step that we saw in his glory days at Parramatta.
Unless something dramatically changes I can’t see Hayne making it much further. While playing fullback in the NRL honed his admittedly superior skills as a ball runner, it results in lazy ball security as a ball carrier.
In his latest article Peter King alludes to Hayne as a novelty that was fun while it lasted. Unfortunately he may be right, and all before America has seen Hayne at his awesome best.
What do you think, Roarers? Would Hayne have had the influence he did on league if the opposition were allowed to strip the ball? Will he overcome these woes to have a positive influence on the 49ers this season?
Will Jim Tomsula and the 49ers coaching staff give him more chances? Time (and possibly injuries to teammates) will tell.
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