Titans want Hayne to strip off wasted NFL weight

Titans coach Neil Henry wants a leaner Jarryd Hayne to adapt to the evolving game in 2017

NEW LOOK: Titans coach Neil Henry wants Jarryd Hayne to lose the weight he put on while playing NFL. Picture: DAVE HUNT

NRL: Gold Coast coach Neil Henry wants to see less of Jarryd Hayne in 2017.

With fullback role evolving, Henry wants Hayne to have stripped about 5kg when he returns to the field to take on the Sydney Roosters on March 4 in round one.

Hayne bulked up in his brief NFL career where the weights program emphasised the importance of building size.

"He's come back a bit heavy and we're working on that,” Henry told Sky Sports Radio on Tuesday.

"And he has dropped a couple of kilos, so I think you will find that he will be four or five kilos lighter than he played last season with preparation.”

Henry said Hayne had been training well since his return from the off-season break, but was clear that the role of the fullback had changed since Hayne left the Eels in 2014.

While kick-return metres had dropped for most fullbacks in the past three years, the role of the No.1 in the line and as coverage at the back has seen off-the-ball work increase dramatically.

"The game has moved,” Henry said. "Particularly the kicking games have improved and sides run the ball a lot more now.”

Henry said Hayne had been playing an important role in the development of the club's younger players during the off-season.

"He (Hayne) is very good with the younger players, talking about how he carries the ball, what he's looking at and what he's seeing which is very good,” Henry said. "I think he's going to have a good season.”

news.com.au

Originally published as Titans want Hayne to strip off wasted NFL weight