Jarryd Hayne will return to rugby league, joining Fiji’s coaching staff as a mentor ahead of this month’s Pacific Bowl series.
The former Parramatta fullback has been invited into the Fijian camp and will work alongside the likes of Sunia Turuva, Maika Sivo, Viliame Kikau and close friend Michael Jennings.
Hayne spent almost two years in jail on sexual assault charges but was released in June this year after the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned his convictions.
Supreme Court Justice Deborah Sweeney at the time said: “I am of the view there is a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted.”
“It’s awesome,” Hayne told local reporters on Monday.
“On the way to the airport yesterday, watching that documentary from the ’08 [World Cup] squad following us in the village. It’s been a long journey … 16 to 17 years. From army barracks, to now we’re in five-star hotels. We’ve come a long way. It’s always good to reminisce.”
Jarryd Hayne at a Fiji training session.
Fiji included Hayne on their official accreditation list, which has since been ticked off by the NRL.
Fiji coach Wise Kativerata spoke to this masthead on Monday, confirming the appointment of Hayne as part of a coaching staff that includes South Sydney’s John Sutton and St George Illawarra’s Shane Millard.
Kativerata, who played his first game for Fiji with Hayne’s father Manoa Thompson, reached out to the 36-year-old after he was released from prison to check on his welfare. Conversations quickly turned to Fiji’s Pacific Championships campaign and a mentoring role.
“I rang him just to talk to him and to see how he was going,” Kativerata said.
Jarryd Hayne after leaving the Downing Centre in Sydney in June.Credit: Nikki Short
“I wanted to make sure he was okay. He was happy to hear from us. After a while, I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed a lift. Then I asked him to come along and help with the team because I knew that it would be good for him and good for us.”
“At first he thought I was joking. But look at what he’s achieved in rugby league. And he’s a Fijian guy, so we want him to be part of it. He’s enjoying it.”
Hayne arrived in Suva on Sunday and joined the team in camp on Monday morning for the team’s training session ahead of their clash with the Papua New Guinea Kumuls in the Fiji capital on Saturday night.
Kativerata said Hayne, who last played in the NRL in 2018, was welcomed by the group.
“The players look up to what he did on the football field,” Kativerata said.
“To have him here and help out with the young fellas in the team, it will be very good for them. I’ve known him for a long time, I know his father. He captained in my first game for Fiji.
Asked about the prospect of Hayne playing a part in the team’s campaign on the field, Kativerata was quick to play it down.