Jarryd Hayne’s decision to leave rugby league back in 2014 was a massive story, and his decision to retire from the NFL to link up with Fiji’s Olympic sevens squad this week was possibly just as big.
What’s been stunning has been the amount of doubt people have cast over why he left the NFL so quickly and whether he’ll succeed in sevens.
This is the same man who most critics believed two years ago didn’t stand a chance of ever playing in the NFL, yet he ended up playing eight games for the San Francisco 49ers within a year of taking up the sport.
There’s a much better chance of Hayne being a success in sevens than there ever was of him playing in the NFL.
It’s inappropriate for people to compare Quade Cooper’s recent failure in sevens as some sort of justification why Hayne won’t succeed. Cooper can only dream of Hayne’s speed, fend and tackling ability.
More Jarryd Hayne:
» Hayne cleared by World Rugby to compete at Rio
» “Half a million, wow”: Hayne unaware of secret $500,000 deals
» Why Hayne shouldn’t make the Fiji sevens side
» NFL to the Olympics, but where will the Hayne Plane land in 2017?
» Jarryd Hayne announces NFL retirement, aims for Olympic Games
In London, Hayne’s anaerobic endurance will be really tested, but another attribute he has proven over the years is his mental strength. It’s this strength that should get him through this weekend and buy him time to regain the fitness required.
The biggest challenge for Hayne will be whether his physical prowess can substitute for the lack of game awareness he’s going to have. However, one of Hayne’s strongest abilities back in rugby league was his spacial awareness when moving at speed, and he’ll be able to get comfortable on the sevens park much quicker than many people are giving him credit for.
If he can even be moderately successful at sevens (compared to his switch to the NFL), then he will add the x-factor to ensure Fiji go to Rio as hot favourites to win gold.
What linking up with Fiji reconfirms is that Hayne is more motivated by achievements than money. Whether he was shoulder-tapped at the 49ers or simply felt his chances of progressing further weren’t great, it shouldn’t detract from the fact that he has again embraced a tough challenge instead of crawling back into his comfort zone.
That is behaviour we should applaud.
One of the flow-on effects for Fiji could be financial. Hayne’s presence could help them get some of the much-needed sponsorship the team have struggled to attract, despite their success.
Hayne secured a lucrative sponsorship deal for himself with Under Armour in September last year, a company that also has athletes like Steph Currie and Jordan Speith on their books. The security Hayne gained from these personal deals may have given him the confidence to take on another fresh challenge like sevens, rather than a more lucrative deal with league or union.
Considering the worldwide exposure that the Olympics receives, it’s unlikely this latest move will jeopardise his deal with Under Armour in the short-term.
Providing he makes the final squad, the Olympics will also be a great stage for Hayne to advertise his skills for a future contract. There is no guarantee he will succeed at Rio, or even make it to the starting line, because he’s competing for a spot in a squad with great depth.
But, barring injury, it would be surprising not to see Hayne at Rio, and if he makes it he could be sensational.
One thing is for sure: we should never write off a champion, and Hayne has definitely proven he is a champion.
Jacko
Guest
Sure Will so based on Haynes STUNNING NFL career I guess Benji Marshall had a STUNNING union career as well. Same amount of games before being moved on.
Jacko
Guest
Yeah and those AFL clubs who consistantly ignore soccer players just annoy the crap out of me.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Ih Hayne hadn;t fumbled then just say he got a 2 year 2 million contract in NFL , then he would still earn on top of that 1 million a year as well from his Australian sponsors becuase he would have been a bigger success story. IF he goes back to NRL then even with sponsorship his earnings will only be 1.5 million a year at best and that will be next season. SO thats effectively a loss of 3.5 million dollars. The other beauty of having a multi year contract in NFL is if Hayne went bad in the second season, is they can't just cut him at any time like they had the freedom to do in the previous season without paying him a certain amount. Then he could go back to NRL with an extra wad of cash, whereas now he has lost over a million to what he could have earned had he stayed in league.
pete bloor
Guest
I like how you use fixable and not fair interchangeably... I honestly couldn't care less about the crowd if I'm watching on TV.
pete bloor
Guest
Yes he could have got a contract...in line with what I said. You then say nrl players don't get that much... are you saying no nrl player earns A$650k? Yes he misses a year but for you didn't factor the opportunity cost into your flawed analysis anyway. Please map out using numbers, not tangential verbose prose, how this has resulted in hayne losing at least 2,000,000 dollars
pete bloor
Guest
Having played both games I put him at 0.01% chance as there just aren't any real similarities and his age just went against him. That he made the squad and got on the field is nothing short of amazing. The humble pie never tasted so good. And I don't even like hayne. (unless he signs with the roosters....)
The Barry
Roar Guru
It is absolute dribble. In what world do we think that going from career rugby league to playing 8 games in the NFL isn't successful. It's couch potato-ism at it's absolute worst.
Cugel
Roar Rookie
Heh, I can remember Darren Bennett (or someone else who could only kick) once made a tackle, and the ALFs were barring up big time.
Cugel
Roar Rookie
Jeez, does 7s have all that scrum-like dreck as well? You guys must really love it.
nerval
Guest
Well then I assume he won't be. NZRU won't wish to sully their shirt by selecting such an inferior player, will they?
Steve Kerr
Roar Rookie
I wanted Hayne to do well in the NFL, but I'm doubting the Hayne plane now. Why? Because giving up NFL for 7's is like quitting Formula 1 to race Go-Karts. It's stupid, and it looks like he's putting attention ahead of actual sporting achievement- if it's too hard, don't get better, just switch codes,- that looks like the name of the game now.
mikeT
Guest
He shouldn't be - he is one of the worst in the NZ7s team.
nerval
Guest
Presumably SBW won't be selected for the Olympics then?
$Bill
Guest
Negative. Seven minutes only.
$Bill
Guest
No it isn't
BrainsTrust
Guest
Haynes return average was quite good , if he hadn;t fumbled he would have been used more and if he had maintained that average then he could have got a contract. As a running back he was towards the bottom level. The highest earning rugby and league players are not getting that much, and the rugby players cam;t even do that locally. Haynes was still getting sponsorship money from here and if he had been more of a success in the NFL then he could have earned that sort of money independent of his NFL salary. The other thing to consider is that Hayne has just lost out on the NRL season and even the Eruopean rugby season starts at the end of the year.
baldie
Guest
um the baseball world series is far more competitive and relevant than a league world cup. They are worlds apart.
rebel
Guest
Not true at all, any league player can commit to a 7s program. Also I was disappointed how the rowing teams snubbed the league players as well.
Pfft
Guest
You're just jealous! Get over yourself JH couldn't give a toss bout your dribble.
The Barry
Roar Guru
So what if he quit? If he's honest enough with himself to look around and see that he's not going to make the cut at age 29 there's nothing wrong with taking the decision out of the coaches hand and retiring. If he fought on and missed out he would achieve nothing more than he has now but miss the opportunity at the Olympics. I hope he makes the squad and Fiji win gold. How awesome for our sport that a kid from Minto could not only rise to the top of league but also play NFL and win an Olympic gold at a third sport. Anyone begrudging him taking that opportunity or death riding him is a petty, mean spirited grub.