Dragons officials wary of signing Eels’ Jarryd Hayne
THE Red V faithful went into meltdown this week when it emerged the Dragons were considering offering off-contract Parramatta flyer Jarryd Hayne a deal.
JARRYD Hayne’s mooted move to St George Illawarra is far from certain with Dragons officials privately concerned about the star’s off-field dramas.
The Red V faithful went into meltdown this week when it emerged the Dragons were considering offering Hayne a contract.
St George Illawarra officials have discussed the prospect of luring the Parramatta back but they’ve made no approaches or tabled an offer to his management at this stage.
After losing Nene Macdonald to North Queensland, the Dragons have the salary cap space to sign another outside back. Hayne is definitely an option but club officials are wary of his ongoing civil lawsuit in the US involving sexual assault allegations.
A legal stoush is brewing between Hayne and the woman who lodged the lawsuit over whether the NRL star should be forced to fly to California for a potential grilling by her lawyers.
Hayne wants to be deposed in Australia ahead of their civil trial in San Jose, California, but the alleged victim argues Hayne should be in America for the high-stakes questioning.
Lawyers for both sides have indicated a judge may have to decide the matter, which won’t be concluded until a scheduled jury trial on January 27, 2020.
Dragons officials are concerned about the impact this could have on Hayne and the club, especially if the former Origin representative is forced to fly to the US for a hearing.
Hayne remains without a deal for 2019 and recently revealed via social media he was still awaiting an offer from Parramatta.
It’s understood he wants $700,000 a season but the Eels, Dragons and other clubs are stalling on the figure. Parramatta are keen to keep Hayne but may need to offload Corey Norman and Michael Jennings.
Norman has been linked to a number of clubs, including the Dragons, while Jennings could sign with Newcastle.
The Eels have 12 first-graders off contract in 2019 who will all be free agents from November 1. Winger Bevan French is one player Parramatta may struggle to retain.
He wants to play fullback and his management is open to joining another club to fulfil his desire.
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Originally published as Dragons officials wary of signing Eels’ Jarryd Hayne