Jarryd Hayne set to make sensational NRL return, headlining a ‘stacked’ Nines side

Jarryd Hayne is set to feature in an upcoming rugby league tournament but his incredible comeback won’t end there.

Jarryd Hayne isn’t the only big-name ex-NRL player set to feature in an upcoming Nines tournament — the likes of Ben Barba, Michael Jennings and Andrew Fifita will also pull on a jersey.

The quartet, along with Ken Sio and Peter Mata’utia, will play for United Sporting Club in the Premier League Nines on the Gold Coast later this month. Fifita’s brothers David and Latu have also been named in the team, which was posted on Instagram on Thursday.

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The organiser of the tournament, Anthony Mitchell, told Code Sports the Nines competition “has just started to explode and more and more blokes want to come back.”

Mitchell is also, like many, keen to see how Hayne fares in his comeback.

“It will be interesting to see if he’s able to pull together what he was able to do in the 13-man format when he was playing,” Mitchell said.

Andrew Fifita's Instagram story, revealing the line-up of his Nines team.

Hayne’s rugby league comeback won’t stop there either as foxsports.com.au understands there’s whispers the 36-year-old is close to signing with Wentworthville Magpies in the Ron Massey Cup.

The Wenty Magpies are an affiliate club of the Parramatta Eels — who Hayne played 191 NRL games for.

Hayne had a glittering NRL career before a dramatic fall from grace when he was accused of sexual assault.

He was tried three times over the incident, which took place on the night of the 2018 NRL Grand Final.

Jarryd Hayne will make his rugby league comeback in the upcoming Nines tournament before turning his attention towards returning to the NRL. Image: Supplied.

The first ended in a hung jury, he was found guilty after the second but then won an appeal and then his conviction was quashed in the third trial.

Hayne last played rugby league in 2018 but is now just over a week away from an official comeback.

Mitchell conceded there’s naturally “concerns” around any player who competes but steered away from Hayne’s controversial past when asked by Code Sports about his association with the tournament.

“Oh, there’s always concerns with any player who registers in competitions like this and we’ve been pretty fortunate to have the majority of our guys be great players of their day come back and run,” he said.

“What’s happened with Jarryd is obviously a different matter.

“The fact that he’s been named in a side is just the starting point for us and whether he chooses to come and actually have a run is probably a different story.”

The likes of Ben Barba (pictured), Michael Jennings and Andrew Fifita will also play in the Nines comp. Picture:Michaela Harlow

It comes after he linked up with Fiji — who he’s represented 10 times — in a mentoring role to help the national team prepare for last year’s Pacific Championships.

The tournament will feature a stack of ex-NRL players. The likes of Matt Bowen, Tyrone Roberts and Sam Kasiano make up one team, while Joel Thompson and Cheyse Blair will link up in another.

Anthony Milford, Corey Norman and James Segeyaro also headline the ‘Legacy’ team.

Nathan Peats will coach a team representing the Arthur Beetson Foundation, Greg Bird has also been revealed as a coach for another team, while current NRL players Max Plath, Victor Radley and Brandon Smith are affiliated with teams in off-field roles.

Originally published as Jarryd Hayne set to make sensational NRL return, headlining a ‘stacked’ Nines side