‘Upset’ Jarryd Hayne hits back at talk he is stealing Olympic dream from battling locals

A WORLD away from the $1.2 billion San Francisco 49ers’ HQ, Fiji-based Jarryd Hayne has hit back at suggestions he is stealing the Olympic dream from battling locals.

Jarryd Hayne has played just one sevens tournament for Fiji ahead of Rio. Picture: Martin Seras Lima

JARRYD Hayne, running back, needed only seconds to get from gym to training field with the San Francisco 49ers.

But now?

“Ah, now the walk takes about 10 minutes,’’ he laughed. “And our gym in town, it’s also open to the public.

“So the facilities aren’t as big, anymore. Or as luxurious.

“But the principles of this journey ... they remain exactly the same.”

Speaking this week from his new training base in Fiji, Hayne opened up to The Saturday Telegraph about his push to become an Olympian in Sevens Rugby.

And what a switch.

Remembering only weeks ago, this globetrotting megastar was bunkered down inside a 49ers HQ worth $1.2 billion.

Where nestled against Levi’s Stadium, facilities include everything from underwater treadmills and a locker room jukebox, to those outdoor speakers blasting ACDC, Dr Dre, even Mozart while players train.

Indeed, apart from access to a chef, barber and seamstress on site, Niners players also practice on fields which, situated alongside a state-of-the-art gymnasium, mirror their game day surface worth $1.4 million.

But as for how Nadi’s practice pitches stack up in comparison?

“It was nice and soft this morning,’’ Hayne said, Thursday. “But that might be because it rained overnight”.

Of course, while the Fijian facilities may not be quite NFL issue, there is certainly no doubting the squad’s athletic talent — with Hayne still no certainty to join the gold medal favourites.

Indeed when quizzed on potential downsides to this latest code hop, the two-time Dally M medallist said he had been “really upset” by accusations he was stealing the Olympic dream from battling locals.

“The idea that I was taking jobs from locals coming down from their villages to train, it got to me,’’ Hayne said. “Really upset me.

“People need to understand that half of this Sevens team plays in Europe. And the other half, they’ve been there and are coming back for these Olympics.

“So, yes, there are some local boys involved. But this is professional sport.

“And to have people create a controversy that isn’t true, it was upsetting.”

Elsewhere, Hayne revealed that — rather than some kneejerk epiphany — the idea of playing Sevens was first broached 14 months ago, when Fiji made an approach via his father, Manoa Thompson.

“Through dad, they asked if I wanted to try out for the Olympics,” recalled the footballer who this week also signed on as an ambassador for Fiji Airways.

“I told them ‘ah, sorry, but I’m heading to the NFL’. And they said that was okay. Said they wouldn’t even need to see me for a year or so.

“They just suggested I keep the offer in mind.”

And so he did. Then accepted.

Which has since created something of a media frenzy.

“But people get so caught up in the strategy of it all,’’ Hayne continued. “Saying you have to go here for this reason, or there for that reason.

“But what I want is an adventure. And the NFL, it was doing that.

“But I was going to need another two or three years to really flow in that game.”

So now?

“Now I’m here,’’ he said. “And I know it’s a big ask. Know I may not get to the Olympics.

“But, you know, it was the same situation last year in the NFL.

“So again, I’ll just put my head down and see how I go.”