Jarryd Hayne’s rugby league return put on ice as former NRL star suffers setback

Jarryd Hayne has suffered a big blow in his bid to return to rugby league just days out from when he was set to take to the field.

Jarryd Hayne’s return to the rugby league field has been put on ice at least for now after he was ruled out of his first game in six-and-a-half years with a hamstring injury.

The 37-year-old is set to make his comeback with the Wentworthville Magpies in the third-tier Ron Massey Cup this season, where he is expected to play five-eighth.

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The two-time Dally M medal winner agreed to a one-year NSWRL contract earlier this year and it is expected he will line up at five-eighth.

However, he was not named in the Magpies’ round one match scheduled for Saturday.

It is understood medical staff have decided Hayne is not ready to return to action due to a hamstring niggle but is seen as a strong chance of making his eagerly awaited return against Penrith Brothers next week.

Jarryd Hayne recently played at a Nines Premier Rugby League event in Tugun. Picture: Richard Walker

Hayne played his last NRL game in 2018 but has been looking to get back to the top of the sport since being released from jail – where he spent nearly two years due to sexual assault charges – after his convictions were quashed by the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal.

He recently was one of several former NRL players who played in the 2025 Nines Premier League trophy but spent minimal time on the field due to hamstring concerns.

And while irrespective of how he performs for the Magpies this season it would shock to see him return to the NRL, Hayne has reportedly set his sights on representing Fiji again at the end of this year if he can get his body in good enough shape.

Hayne was previously part of Fiji’s 2008 and 2017 World Cup squads.

He also represented the Pacific nation in rugby sevens after a brief stint in the NFL stint.

Originally published as Jarryd Hayne’s rugby league return put on ice as former NRL star suffers setback