Jarryd Hayne and St George Illawarra ‘not a bad fit’, says Mark Geyer
The former Penrith Panther thinks it could work, but will it happen?
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Written BySTEVE ORME
@SteveOSportal
He didn’t see it coming but Penrith legend Mark ‘MG’ Geyer believes the rumour Parramatta veteran
Jarryd Hayne could make a shock switch to St George Illawarra makes perfect sense for both player and club.
The news of the Dragons’ interest in the two-time Dally M medal winner, initially reported by Wide World of Sports, spread quickly on Wednesday.
Hayne is growing more frustrated by the day over the Eels’ failure to table an offer for the 2019 season.
Eels CEO Bernie Gurr and coach Brad Arthur have both publicly expressed their desire to re-sign the Hayne Plane but Geyer believes the 30-year-old should join the Red V if he receives a genuine offer.
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“I hadn’t thought about any other club in Sydney acquiring him but the minute I heard about the Dragons I thought it’s not a bad fit,” Geyer said on Triple M’s The Rush Hour With MG.
“Nene Macdonald is gone (to North Queensland), Jason Nightingale retired and Hayne is a utility back with experience.
“… And I think the baggage that Jarryd Hayne is carrying from the 2009 (grand-final loss to Melbourne) as an Eel has crippled him a bit and I think a change of club could be just what he needs.
“… Everything seems to me that Parramatta are baulking at signing Jarryd Hayne and if they do sign him they’re going to come back with a reduced offer.
“I believe he’s still got two really good years in him, maybe three and I think at the Dragons he will play without the handcuffs of expectation that he’s been basically shackled with all this time.”
Hayne returned to the Eels in 2018 on a one-year deal after walking out on his $1.2 million deal with Gold Coast to return ‘home’ for $700,000 less.
After a sluggish start due to consecutive hip injuries, the former Kangaroos and NSW star finished the Eels disastrous campaign strongly.
Hayne went public with his
frustrations at Eels management last weekend but Geyer believes the versatile veteran would thrive in Wollongong.
“I think for the Dragons they’ve got a really good leadership group in (James) Graham, (Tariq) Sims, (Jack) DeBelin, (Tyson) Frizell and they’ve got (Gareth) Widdop and (Ben) Hunt in their halves,” Geyer said.
“But they’ve had two massive losses (Macdonald and Nightingale) … obviously they’ve got Tim Lafai and (Euan) Aitken in the centres but I just think for his experience at the moment (it’s worth signing Hayne) for at least two years.
“And I think Jarryd Hayne without that expectation he’s got in the blue and gold, I think it could be a really good move for him.”
https://www.nospam47.com/au/rugby-l...it-says-mark-geyer/12v7ood4vrv3i1134xf1j79fjz
