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Battle between Parramatta's Jarryd Hayne and Newcastle's Kurt Gidley to be NRL's top fullback
| August 05, 2009 12:00am
THEY roomed together during Origin and share a genuine respect for each other's ability.
<DIV class="article-body rank0" id=article-body>And both are adamant about one thing: the other holds the key to Sunday's vital clash between Newcastle and Parramatta.
Talk to Knights skipper Kurt Gidley about Jarryd Hayne and he doesn't need prompting on the Parramatta fullback's influence on the Eels' premiership resurgence.
"I haven't seen a lot of their games but I know how good he's been going for them," Gidley said.
"To be honest, I could never work out why he wasn't playing fullback for them from the start of the season.
"The way he is built - he's a big boy - and just his kick returns are outstanding.
"His stats don't lie and we have already spoken a bit about him this week and how our kick-chase ha s to be spot on.
"We need to keep the ball away from him as much as we can."
Hayne is just as glowing in his praise of the Newcastle No. 1 and his effect on the Knights.
"He's a massive influence for them and one of the key players we are going to have to contain," Hayne said of Gidley.
"He's up there with the best players going around and was great during Origin. He had his leadership head on and was a big help for me personally.
"But it's back to club footy and if we can keep him quiet, it would be a big factor in us winning.
"It's a big game for us. They're in the eight but we're still chasing.
"We need the win more than they do."
Neither player was prepared to buy into any argument about whether Sunday's showdown between the pair would decide NSW's best fullback.
The stats say it's Hayne.
In 10 games at fullback, he has scored eight tries, averaged 214m a game, had 19 line breaks and broken a staggering 97 tackles.
It's those numbers which have plenty of people claiming the Eels star is the best player in the game right now.
Gidley's 15 games for the Knights have produced three tries and 50 goals for 112 points, he's averaging 166m a game and has made 71 tackle busts.
But their styles can't be compared, with Gidley playing as many as three or four positions in the one game and not your traditional fullback's role.
The stats also don't measure their influence on teammates and how they play.
Gidley said he was happy to be back at fullback for the Eels game after his switch to halfback against the Sydney Roosters failed to ignite the Knights.
"It probably didn't work like we wanted it to," Gidley said.
"But there was a lot more to it (the loss) than that. We need to get back to the way we were defending three or four weeks ago."
Gidley is adamant the coaching dramas at the club can't be used as an excuse for heavy losses against Manly and the Roosters.
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| August 05, 2009 12:00am
THEY roomed together during Origin and share a genuine respect for each other's ability.
<DIV class="article-body rank0" id=article-body>And both are adamant about one thing: the other holds the key to Sunday's vital clash between Newcastle and Parramatta.
Talk to Knights skipper Kurt Gidley about Jarryd Hayne and he doesn't need prompting on the Parramatta fullback's influence on the Eels' premiership resurgence.
"I haven't seen a lot of their games but I know how good he's been going for them," Gidley said.
"To be honest, I could never work out why he wasn't playing fullback for them from the start of the season.
"The way he is built - he's a big boy - and just his kick returns are outstanding.
"His stats don't lie and we have already spoken a bit about him this week and how our kick-chase ha s to be spot on.
"We need to keep the ball away from him as much as we can."
Hayne is just as glowing in his praise of the Newcastle No. 1 and his effect on the Knights.
"He's a massive influence for them and one of the key players we are going to have to contain," Hayne said of Gidley.
"He's up there with the best players going around and was great during Origin. He had his leadership head on and was a big help for me personally.
"But it's back to club footy and if we can keep him quiet, it would be a big factor in us winning.
"It's a big game for us. They're in the eight but we're still chasing.
"We need the win more than they do."
Neither player was prepared to buy into any argument about whether Sunday's showdown between the pair would decide NSW's best fullback.
The stats say it's Hayne.
In 10 games at fullback, he has scored eight tries, averaged 214m a game, had 19 line breaks and broken a staggering 97 tackles.
It's those numbers which have plenty of people claiming the Eels star is the best player in the game right now.
Gidley's 15 games for the Knights have produced three tries and 50 goals for 112 points, he's averaging 166m a game and has made 71 tackle busts.
But their styles can't be compared, with Gidley playing as many as three or four positions in the one game and not your traditional fullback's role.
The stats also don't measure their influence on teammates and how they play.
Gidley said he was happy to be back at fullback for the Eels game after his switch to halfback against the Sydney Roosters failed to ignite the Knights.
"It probably didn't work like we wanted it to," Gidley said.
"But there was a lot more to it (the loss) than that. We need to get back to the way we were defending three or four weeks ago."
Gidley is adamant the coaching dramas at the club can't be used as an excuse for heavy losses against Manly and the Roosters.
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