If Parramatta are happy with Jarryd Hayne, why is the club stalling over a new contract?
CALL me cynical, but is there more to contract negotiations between Jarryd Hayne and Parramatta than what we are being told, writes PAUL CRAWLEY.
Opinion
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IT is good to see the real Jarryd Hayne has finally returned from the NFL
But the question I ask is where has this form been hiding — and, more importantly, how long will it last?
Long enough for Hayne to win a new contract at Parramatta, so he can keep the money rolling in for a few more years?
Or long enough to determine how the now 30-year-old will be remembered long after one of the most naturally gifted footballers of his generation finally hangs up his boots?
Time will tell.
But don’t underestimate just how significant this decision surrounding Hayne’s future could ultimately be for everyone at the Eels, especially coach Brad Arthur.
From everything Arthur is saying publicly, he appears to have no concerns about Hayne’s attitude since he returned from his failed stint at Gold Coast.
And Arthur also seems convinced that Hayne’s recent revival is only the result of Hayne again playing injury free.
That might well be the case. But answer this: if it is, then why is Parramatta wasting precious time locking up Hayne to an extended contract?
Call me cynical, but it makes me wonder if there is more to it than what we are being told — namely, that Parramatta still has reservations relating to his real motivation.
There is no question Hayne has always been the master of his own destiny. But that also has been the greatest knock on him throughout his career.
It was highlighted four years ago when Hayne sat down at his media conference to announce he would be quitting the NRL to chase his dream in the NFL.
Hayne said at the time the major reason he was leaving was because “I feel like I have done everything in the game”.
“What more is there to achieve, other than a premiership?” Hayne questioned.
You were entitled to wonder how a player who had not won a premiership could even think this, let alone say it publicly — especially coming from a club such as Parramatta, that hadn’t won a comp since 1986.
Even Cameron Smith commented: “He said he’d accomplished everything he can in rugby league. Well, he hasn’t won a premiership.
“He doesn’t know what that feels like, so that was a bit strange for me, but I don’t have the opportunity Jarryd has to play another sport.”
Which brings us back to 2018, and beyond.
On Thursday night the Eels will take on archrivals Canterbury in a game that is effectively a
battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
Yet Hayne’s form going into the game is one of the biggest talking points in the NRL, for all the right reasons.
In his first four games this season, Hayne made a total of four tackle busts and didn’t make a line break or run for more than 100 metres in any of those matches. At the time he was averaging just 56m a game.
But since his most recent return from injury Hayne has made four line breaks, 27 tackle busts, scored four tries and he is now averaging 142m, which are all ridiculous numbers for a NRL centre.
And last week against Newcastle it was the Hayne of old who came out to play.
He finished with 14 tackle busts (his most in a match since the finals series in 2009), and also made three line breaks, had a try assist and ran for 189m.
It was his most running metres since round 25, 2016, and his three line breaks equalled his effort in round 20, 2014, before he left for the NFL.
So there is no question that Hayne can’t recapture his best if he continues to work hard, even at 30 years of age.
But my question remains: if this is the case, and the Eels have no concerns about Hayne’s attitude, then why is Parramatta stalling?
Michael Ennis came out following Hayne’s performance for Fiji in the Pacific Test and publicly questioned if Hayne had lost his love for the game.
It was exactly what Preston Campbell said about Hayne last year when he was playing like he couldn’t have cared less at the Titans.
You try and get former coaches and teammates to talk about Hayne and it is always a conversation they would prefer to leave alone.
Right now Parramatta is a club that is severely lacking strong leadership. If Hayne remains on his game, then he could really make a difference going forward.
The club has been open about the fact Hayne’s contract this year is worth $500,000 — and for a player of his ability, that is an absolute bargain.
But then you think why aren’t other NRL clubs beating down the door to try and poach him?
Is it because they view him as the boy who cried wolf?
You could argue Hayne has nothing left to prove, and given what he has already achieved throughout his career, that is a valid argument.
He has won two Dally M Medals and shined at every level. He has already done what most players could only dream of doing.
And he is still a wonderful footballer, as he showed again last weekend.
Yet still the questions remain. Only Hayne can ultimately put them to bed.