A week is a long time in rugby league and even longer at the Eels. What other clubs might experience in a decade, Parramatta are able to squeeze into a matter of weeks!
In many ways it is truly impressive. In other ways, and for the fans I imagine, it is like waking up with a hangover every day – you swear it won’t happen again but it always does.
This is a follow-up piece to say that over the past seven days, my resolve has strengthened – Hayne will never again pull on an Eels jersey in anger. Here’s why I’m more convinced than ever.
In the past week the NSW Government has kicked the Eels board out on their rears and placed in charge an administrator.
Now this is probably a very good thing for the club and the fans alike. Things had gone on far too long with the old directors and their approach to running the club – a serious change was needed and dramatic action has been taken.
Some people are using this as a reason to claim that Hayne is more likely to return to the Eels – things are going to get better now and so surely Jarryd will come back? Nope!
The removal of the board can be likened to when an addict hits rock bottom and starts getting the help and support they need to turn things around. It’s a critical step and as painful as it certainly is, many say it has to happen before the long road of recovery can truly start.
But that road of recovery is still long! And while the Eels are walking that long road it is unlikely I believe that an Administrator or a new board is going to rush to offer a reported $1.5 million a year to a 28-year-old Hayne who hasn’t played NRL for a while.
Even more so when you consider that this past season, without Hayne, they’ve actually been playing some very good footy. Why spend that money on Hayne when there’s a chance to retain current players and add some talented youth or up-and-coming players to build an Eels club that can compete for years?
From the Hayne camp point of view there must be concerns too. The Eels are facing criminal investigations and are continuing to fight the salary cap rort punishment with the NRL. Is that the kind of Club that Hayne is really going to rely on and trust to deliver such a huge contract? Are 3rd parties really going to want to get involved with Eels players when this is all going on in the background?
Of course the Club itself is not meant to be involved in third party agreements at all but any company marketing or PR director can see how people will make the easy jump from their own brand to Hayne and from Hayne to the badly damaged Eels brand. Not really the type of association companies are looking for.
The third point to consider is that the ARU and Waratahs seem to be solidifying their intentions to offer Hayne an attractive opportunity. On Wednesday Hayne and his manager were spotted coming out of ARU HQ and while I’m sure the coffee there is lovely, it’s unlikely that they just popped round for a friendly chat.
Rugby Union does have the issue that they cannot involve Hayne in the Wallabies as he’s already “played” for Fiji and that does mean some of the potential cash in a rugby offer won’t be available.
However the ARU can top up a Tahs offer and, if Folau’s experience is anything to go by, there will be plenty of third party opportunities for Hayne.
Add to that the fact that the ARU might be able to offer Hayne an 8-month contract which would leave the opportunity open to head to France or Japan for a few months and his bank balance could well be $1 million healthier within 12 months.
As I wrote in an article earlier this week, Australian Rugby Union is in a tricky situation at the moment. Being able to announce that Jarryd Hayne is joining a Super Rugby side would be a huge win after a season that has ended quite limply from an Aussie club point of view.
They will certainly be motivated to make things work for Hayne if it means they can stick him and Folau on every billboard around Sydney!
So while the Eels are forced to move slowly and responsibly, the reasonably cashed-up vultures of the ARU are gathering. It’s going to be a very tempting offer from rugby – travel, money, a new physical challenge, can still be based in Sydney, won’t be going back against his word to never play against the Eels.
Time will tell as it always does but it looks like the biggest story of August could well be Hayne joining the Tahs instead of Hayne winning gold at the Olympics.
CUW
Guest
im not sure it was a loop hole - rather an incentive to get some top quality players to play at RIO. also it was a one-off offer as far as i know. however somebody said it may be there for next olympics as well - which i have no idea. i favor the ruling , when it helps the lesser nations and not the top 10-12. there are quite a few guys who are not able to play for a lower ranked team becoz they have played for another country. like tim nanai williams for example. imagine a guy like say frank halai , who has just a solitary cap for NZ was able to play for tonga? it will make them a little better and we the fans will get to see a very good player. the rule shud not benefit top teams though. if the powers want to improve the game , they shud try to reduce the gap between haves and have nots by giving some help - like the handicap in golf :)
Marlins Tragic
Guest
Hayne can NEVER play for the Wallabies REGULATION 8. ELIGIBILITY TO PLAY FOR NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS 8.2 A Player who has played for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the senior National Representative Sevens Team of a Union is not eligible to play for the senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the next senior fifteen-a-side National Representative Team or the senior National Representative Sevens Team of another Union.
Oliver Matthews
Expert
The Burgess saga was a failure for sure but not primarily because of Sam's abilities. The circus that Bath and the RFU created was ridiculous and no one could blame him for wanting to head back to Sydney after one season. He should never have been in an England jersey so soon and the fact that they kept changing between centre and back row meant the guy could never settle and learn the game. I think if he'd been given/taken more time he could have been a good union player.
ClarkeG
Guest
Those choices you speak of are more like plans I would say. But as I have said elsewhere, I'm not sure if the RWC plan is possible because I'm not sure he will be able to achieve eligibility in time under present regulations. And on the RWC being pointless - you could argue the same thing about the Football World Cup on the same basis where only 8 different countries have won in 20 tournaments. Blooming waste of time- really just so pointless. Why would they bother.
Oceanbreeze
Guest
I'm sorry but you lot are operating under the premise that he made a mistake playing for Fiji 7s. He played for the Fiji Rugby league team before the Australia Rugby league team. His Dad is Fijian, Fijian fans support him and Australian fans don't as seen in the amount of ad hominems article written about him. The reason why he's so naturally gifted is because of the Fijian blood running through his vain. The choice he has is play for Australia in 2019 in a pointless Rugby World Cup where in the seven World Cups to take place in history only 4 different teams have won it. Or play for Fiji in the Olympics in 2020. A rugby world cup medal or Olympic medal hmmm yeah definitely tough choice (not)
ClarkeG
Guest
For something that does not matter to you you have quite a lot to say. The funny thing is that I think we are in agreement and although you say you don't get the point you actually appear to get the point. Lovely jubbly :-)
taylorman
Roar Guru
Super rugby is all about money. Hayne and bringing Cooper back is primarily about selling tickets. Whether they're actually good at rugby or not is a bonus. It's a risk they're prepared to take because for a while at least they'll spark a lot of interest because they're high profile.
Oliver Matthews
Expert
It's very hard to put a number on that "perceived value" although there are marketing agencies around the world who will tell you that they've figured it all out. Sadly I think a lot of that perception is actually in the eye of the holder - I can well imagine that the ARU see much more value in Folau's move and relative success than other codes and codes' fans do. And I totally agree - this money that could be spent on Hayne would be much better spent on developing a program that directly appealed to young potential players. Rather than using advertising of Hayne and Folau to attract youth to the sport they should actually speak directly to that youth group and provide them with training, development pathways and so on. Much better return on investment I'd imagine
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Well that's better than most weather forecasters! To be fair I wasn't really looking to persuade others - just share my thoughts on it. It's an interesting story that has a lot of different views and judging by the 100+ comments there are plenty of people who have views on the topic. What's yours?
soapit
Guest
haha not rub up, rub out.
soapit
Guest
it doesnt matter to me clarke. you are not the only one who can simply ask a question. im not clear what point you are making. you ask whether he belongs on the list. didnt you? he clearly does. i agree he doesnt spring to mind like the others but he is on the list of crossovers unless theres some additional criteria you are applying. it does seem like youre question is now whether hes high on the list? i think we can agree that hes not but i dont really see the point in that question (hence me asking why it matters - no need to get defensive about it). if thats it hopefully you got your answer feel free to not answer. to be clear it doesnt matter to me if you dont.
ClarkeG
Guest
It doesn't matter. It was just a simple, mild mannered and perfectly reasonable question on my part and I have explained the point behind it. But apparently, whether or not it matters, matters to you. But lets be blunt for one moment. If I had asked you to make the said list I doubt very much the name Umaga would be at the forefront of your thoughts.
Bill Chapman
Roar Rookie
An absolute disgrace if they sign him. The message that sends to young players coming up through the ranks is appalling. He is a complete mercenary and hypocrite and it is an indictment of the current state of the administration of the ARU that they are even thinking about it.
soapit
Guest
mania thats pretty ridiculous to suggest any coach is going to risk losing a wc final by picking someone simply for marketing purposes.
soapit
Guest
yep always impressed at people who can rub up big deficiencies in their game. billy slaters another who had terrible passing game for the first half of his career.
soapit
Guest
i know you disagree. thats why i said we can have our own lists with different criteria. why does them being big names when they crossover matter especially?
Jeremy Williams
Guest
Jarred who?? The ARU should just ignore this walking headline. Rugby in Australia needs teams and not selfish individuals like this. The money would be better spent on getting coaches to help Aussie players to draw and pass, put players in to gaps and to catch and pass. These skills are what Aussie backs used to have in spades, providing us with clever backline moves and great running angles. I remember test matches where the Aussie backline would deliver a sublime move where a winger would cut through, scoring under the posts without an All Black hand on them. Now the play is unimaginative and it is all bash and crash. Aussie Rugby, please forget about someone who is a plane and just get back to playing clever rugby. Out in rugby fan land we really miss that - even diehard All Black fans like me.
Mike
Guest
Oliver, I tend to agree in principle. However it is difficult to quantify the reality of "perceived value". All my mates who are NRL fans still watch NRL without any interest in our code. Sure they'll ask how has izzy or any convert is performing but they won't actually tune in to watch. Anyways I guess my point is, jarryd hasn't openly stated he'd like to play super rugby. Just seems like it's a fall back position or a negotiating ploy for an NRL contract. So I'd like to see ARU spend its money wisely...grass roots rugby. the youth who play for the love of the game. However, jarryd your a star whatever you choose to do best of luck with it. I'd rather you take the hype plane back to the NRL and leave the ARU's resources for the talent who love THIS game. Cheers fella.
Oliver Matthews
Expert
Oh you've got a fair point but there is that temptation and perceived great value in "stealing" another code's star over to your code in Australia. AFL, NRL and Super Rugby all place a huge amount of value in convincing a player to code hop. I've always been less convinced by Folau's playing value than many people but it's hard to doubt his marketing value - even more so when you consider that the NRL and AFL don't get to benefit from him anymore but the ARU do.
Mike
Guest
jH has serious skills without doubt. Should the ARU invest in those skills. Nope! He (jh)has absolutely no idea what he wants to be doing with his life atm. He dreams this, he dreams that. Jeez he may dream of winning a Melbourne cup next ( drop 80kg and your still too tall for a jockey JH, just trying to manage those dreams of yours mate) ARU should perhaps invest their limited bucks in any strategy offering a long term benefit to the code. Anyone youth development program gets my vote. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm fan of JH and all he's accomplished. But I'd prefer he got up to speed in this code, on someone else's dime. Does he have more of an X factor than izzy? Highly doubtful. Would teams easily exploit his lack experience within this code. Yes indeed they would, pretty easily would be my guess.