Gold Coast Titans feeling the effects on Jarryd’s Hayne arrival on and off the field

THE Jarryd Hayne effect is a wake-up call to the NRL. Look at what his star power has done for the Titans in just one week, writes MATTHEW JOHNS.

THE signing of Jarryd Hayne and the effect it has had on the Gold Coast Titans should signal a wake-up call to the NRL.

Modern sport is driven by big stars and big personalities.

In recent years the NRL has allowed too many stars to leave our game. The NRL must always be about retaining its biggest stars and personalities.

Let’s look back at what Jarryd Hayne’s star power has done for the Titans in just one week.

THE OFF-FIELD EFFECT

I don’t think we’ve seen anything like it in Australian sport.

The Gold Coast Titans were a club rebounding from near catastrophe. Rugby league fans were admiring this club’s ability to punch above its weight in 2016, then suddenly in a matter of days they are the hottest team in Australian sport.

Hang on, I’m probably understating things.

Last week the Gold Coast Titans were trending in the top 10 sporting teams globally.

For the Titans, all aspects of their business have exploded. As far as social media is concerned the Titans’ Facebook page is up almost 2000 per cent in views. Their social media video views are up over 600 per cent.

On game day, over 25,000 people turned up to watch the Warriors match live, while on Fox Sports it was their highest rating Sunday ever.

Gold Coast Titans merchandise sales were up over 100 per cent on game day, while membership renewals have skyrocketed.

Next week the Titans will announce brand new sponsorship deals, and even Brisbane’s Courier Mail seem to be abandoning the Broncos, with headlines this week declaring the Titans, “The No.1 show in town.”

Money well spent do you think?

THE ON-FIELD EFFECT

It’s difficult to say just yet because it was clear from the opening minutes that the Titans lacked energy last Sunday, clearly fatigued from the previous Monday night’s 90-minute epic draw against the Sharks.

I also think the week took a toll on the Titans players. For many of them it was the biggest week of their careers; headline news, media scrums at every training run and that can be distracting.

There’s no doubt Hayne’s introduction in the 27th minute sparked the Titans.

The side didn’t miss a beat with him at left centre, whereas his move into the halves in the second half saw some teething problems.

Having Hayne nailed down to the left hand side of the field limited his involvement, whereas in the final stages when he roamed all over the park he was able to create a number of opportunities and looked very dangerous.

HIS PERSONAL PERFORMANCE

Hayne exceeded my expectations of where I thought he’d be at in week one. He looked very, very classy and defensively was superb, both in decision making and physicality.

Given his limited time with the team I thought it was a big ask to play him in the halves, but he managed it well.

There were some beautiful little moments of skill, some brilliant passes, clever kicks and an unfortunate intercept, but given he was thrown in with a very limited knowledge of the calls and the structure, it was a strong performance.

But there’s no doubt fullback is where the Titans will see the very best of Jarryd Hayne.

It will free him of defensive responsibility and allow him to do what he does best — roam the field, picking and choosing his moments.

THE CHALLENGES

Getting Hayne to blend into this team will be a challenge for coach Neil Henry. Henry is a coach who is big on discipline and big on treating all his players the same way, and that shows in the way they play.

If a player does something wrong, they can expect to be called out on it. It doesn’t matter if it’s young Ash Taylor or hardened veteran Greg Bird. Henry must treat Hayne the same way. And Hayne must allow himself to be treated the same way.

There can’t be one set of rules for the team and another set for Hayne. That will erode the fabric and camaraderie of the team.

Hayne will have an enormous impact on this team and many of its young players. He’s a leader and must ensure he’s a popular leader and not a distant one. In the gym, on the training park and in the dressing room, many young eyes will be on him.

He must be a living, breathing example of professionalism and show these young players through work ethic why Jarryd Hayne is who he is.

The other challenge will be ensuring players like rookie halfback Taylor doesn’t become intimidated by Hayne’s on-field presence. Taylor must continue to realise that he is still the Titans’ most important player.

There were several moments in the Warriors match where Taylor hesitated, waiting for Hayne to call the ball first.

To Hayne’s credit on one occasion, he actually pushed the young half forward, encouraging him to take control.

The Hayne/Ash Taylor combination can be electrifying if they do the hours on the training park together.

THE TIGERS

This is a huge game for both teams. The Tigers have leapfrogged the Titans, but only a point separates them. Both the Tigers and Titans really need to win this one.

The Tigers are known for their flair and ball movement, but it was their defence and aggression which saw them upset the Cowboys.

The Tigers were sky high in their most impressive win for a long time, the challenge is getting themselves up again for Saturday.

The Titans will be more energised and focused this week and will challenge the Tigers with power football.

I’m curious to see how Neil Henry uses Hayne. While he’s expected to start in the halves, I’d love to see him switched to fullback for a spell, just to see what sort of impact it has.

There will be a huge crowd at Campbelltown to watch this one, and a huge TV audience for Fox Sports once again, I can’t wait.

Originally published as Gold Coast Titans feeling the effects on Jarryd’s Hayne arrival on and off the field