Michael Ennis says Hayne ‘would go to any length to perform’

HE MAY be blessed with freakish talents, but that’s not the only reason for Jarryd Hayne’s remarkable NFL success, according to a former teammate.

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JARRYD Hayne’s former State of Origin teammate Michael Ennis has painted a picture of Jarryd Hayne the professional that few people would realise.

Speaking on NRL 360 on Tuesday night, the Cronulla Sharks hooker spoke about the boy from Minto’s incredible dedication.

“One time we arrived in Brisbane for an Origin game, Jarryd and I were rooming together,” Ennis explained.

“He walked straight into the room, put his bag down, flipped the bed on its side, wheeled the base out and laid the mattress on the floor.

“He knew that other beds in hotels could make his body feel terrible, so he just slept on the mattress on the floor for the next few days,” Ennis said.

“It sums him up perfectly. He is a guy that just knows what needs to be done and will go to every length to make sure he performs.”

Hayne’s consistent drive to do whatever it takes to succeed is the secret behind his journey into the NFL.

Ennis said Hayne ensures he knows everything that could possibly help build him into the perfect athlete.

“He just knows what he is capable of and what needs to be done to get there.

“When he is in the gym, a lot of the guys rely on trainers to tell them what is required of them in the gym, whereas Jarryd will walk in and do his own program.

“He knew what he needed to do in a 10-day preparation to perform the following Wednesday.

“He was constantly stretching, constantly doing core work — he never looked calm and complete with what he was doing, he was always looking to better himself.”

Even before Hayne left for the US, Ennis had faith that the incredible self-belief the former Eels fullback possessed would carry him through to a full NFL contract.

“When people said to me last year, ‘Do you reckon he will make it?’ I said, ‘I reckon he will.’

“I just knew how driven he was as a person and the self-confidence that he had that wasn’t arrogant or abrupt, just this inner belief in himself that he knew that he was capable of anything.”

Hayne’s impressive performances in his first two NFL trial games have raised the prospect of other rugby league players making a successful conversion to America’s biggest football code, with the Sharks hooker nominating West Tigers fullback James Tedesco as one such athlete.

“If Jarryd Hayne can do that, there has got to be other players in our game like your Tedesco’s that are capable too,” Ennis said.