So all fullbacks have their weaknesses. They've got their strengths too. Yet the haters play up Hayne's weaknesses and ignore his strengths.
Tall poppy syndrome mate. I was the same back when my team had no superstars; why should Raiders or Dragons fans be any different?
Experience doesn't start when you get to first grade though. Dugan's been a fullback all his life; Hayne played his juniors (and half his first grade career) all across the backline and even at lock.
It's a fashionable myth to criticise Hayne for being lazy or lacking awareness or courage but when you look at his involvement (runs, metres, etc) you can't call him lazy, when you see some of the passes he throws you can't criticise his awareness, and his try saves (and some of his hits back when he defended in the line) are testament to his courage.
The reason you notice Hayne when he's beaten to a kick is because he's Jarryd Hayne. The camera's constantly on him, and the commentators can't shut up about him.
It's called 'aura'. Few players have it.
Yet Hayne averages more metres per kick return.
Don't forget as well, that Slater has been dropped as QLD fullback twice in the middle of a series. He also played poorly in a Wrld Cp final. Back when he first made the transition from centre to fullback for the Storm he was constantly criticised for his mistakes.
It wasn't until the haters got sick of Hayne that they started talking up Slater's positioning and defence.
If you're not there you don't save the try mate.
Just like the praise, Hayne's criticism is overdone. It comes from being a once-in-a-generation player.
Some games it seems like Hayne is the only player at Parramatta. He went from hitting gaps all last year to making 17 linebreak assists this year. Hayne plays fullback
and halfback (a reason Parra went so poorly this year) while Slater injects himself only when he needs to, because Smith and Cronk (and Finch) run the show.
How the hell can you say Slater runs the plays at Melbourne when they have a future immortal at dummy-half, an Australian international at halfback and a former Origin halfback at five-eighth.
Slater talks on the field like any senior player, as does Hayne.
Every fullback in the NRL is one of the key players in their respective teams. It's the nature of the position.
No I have two examples of him returning a bomb for a long break. That's not good, that's incredible. Most players surrender in the tackle after taking a bomb.
All players have their strengths.
He's won the Dally M Medal from fullback. The awards from the wing just show his ability to influence a game regardless of where he plays.
If he was the best he'd also be the most high profile. There's a lot of hype around Slater but there's far more around Hayne. That's because Billy Slater at his best is not as good as Jarryd Hayne at his best, and having the luxury of less responsibility at stronger teams (Melbourne, QLD) allows him to play at a more consistent level.
The only jersey they're competing for is the Australian jersey, and as they say, it's harder to get out of the Australian team than it is to get in.
Slater has the luxury of playing at club or Origin level with half the Australian backline and playmaking corps. Hayne's one the few Australian internationals at Parramatta and the only Blues player who would make the QLD Origin team:
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/greats-praise-honorary-queenslander-hayne-20090628-d0oo.html
Hayne's so good they pick him out of position in the Australian side, at the expense of quality wingers.
That's because regardless of whether or not he's the best fullback in the game, Hayne is the best
player:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/lhqnews/phil-gould/2009/08/22/1250362254874.html
When the game is on the line? How about when the
season is on the line. Is Lockyer going to give you 6 consecutive Man-of-the-Match performances, making the entire rest of the NRL look like under 7s? Hayne mightn't have repeated his heroics this year but he's still been one of the best players in the comp. And Lockyer's never had to carry his team the way Hayne's had to. Why do you think Parra's freed up half a milion bucks for a playmaker?
No but it is driven by politics, just like the Australian team always was. Given the Aussie team has no real competition (apart from 2008 when they were red-hot favourites) selectors can play favourites without it coming back to bite them on the arse - the fourth or fifth string Australian side is better on paper than the Kiwis or Poms. Only Benji Marshall would walk in to the Australian side. All the other great Kiwis play for Australia anyway (Hunt, Folau).
I put it to you that it is very disputed.
Slater was disputed as the best right up until Hunt signed with the AFL. Then for 2008 Slater was the undisputed best. Then last year saw the rise of Hayne and the title of best fullback has been in dispute ever since.
Hayne's attacking ability is only rivaled by Carney, Marshall and Thurston - and Hayne has them all beat for speed and power. His specific quality as a fullback is only rivalled by Slater and Dugan - neither of whom are the number 1 attacking option at their clubs.
It was always going to be a Queenslander.
I never disputed that. The fact that the Storm were so far over the salary cap is proof of the quality of the individual players. But it's also proof that all of those players have better on-field support by virtue of the players around them. Meaning their performances (particularly consistency) should be be taken with a grain of salt when judged against other players in less star-studded teams.
But experience isn't all there is. Aside from experience I think Hayne has Slater covered in every area - speed, power, vision, ball skills. And I concede Slater is an absolute freak. But Hayne is a once-in-a-generation talent that inspires fear and jealousy in opposition fans.
Why is it a weak argument?
Sure, and it can also be argued that it's easier to stand out in a poor side - look at Paul Gallen.
The difference is, people don't talk about Gallen the way they talk about Hayne. Chris Close hates anybody who wears a sky blue jersey and even he couldn't help recognise Hayne's quality:
He might be the best at specifically defensive fullback play but more and more we see fullback becoming an attacking position (see Carney at the start of the year and Preston Campbell at the end - even Hayne plays fullback for his attack).
Just like halfbacks, they're celebrated for their attacking ability. Slater won the Clive Churchill Medal last year for scoring a try despite playing poorly in defence - he dropped a bomb under little pressure, Reddy scored from another bomb, and Slater was ineffective in preventing both Moimoi and Grothe from scoring despite "being there".
