League guns visit
20 December 2007 Herald Sun
Dave Donaghy
IT BEGAN as friendly banter. With the entire Essendon list flanking them, two of the most exciting prospects in rugby league -- Parramatta Eels Jarryd Hayne and Krisnan Inu -- were yesterday locked in one of the most intriguing kicking battles seen at Windy Hill.
Parramatta Eel Krisnan Inu impresses the Bombers with his kicking skills during a visit to Windy Hill yesterday. Picture: Norm Oorloff
It opened at 50m.
Hayne went first. The Sherrin started left, curved late and sailed between the big sticks -- halfway up the net behind the posts.
Inu followed suit. His right-foot punt blazed a similar trail but slammed into the net three-quarters high.
Then it turned serious: 60m.
The result? Exactly the same. And the same again at 65m. And they had traded drop punts for place kicks.
The Bombers had just witnessed what the rugby league world had known for at least a year: These kids are freaks.
Hayne, 19, made his Test debut for Australia against New Zealand international Inu, 20, in October.
They are already great players. The scary thing is they plan to become even better next year.
Yesterday's cross-code fact-finding mission was all part of that plan.
Less than a week after Geelong hosted a hybrid training session with NRL premier Melbourne Storm, Hayne and Inu, both outside backs, arrived at Essendon HQ as guests hoping to learn a trick or two to take back to Parramatta.
"It was good fun," Hayne said. "The enthusiasm and their work ethic to training is a whole lot different to (rugby league). They get so pumped with training.
"There's probably more enthusiasm. Probably not intensity but enthusiasm."
Inu said the height of the Bombers had surprised him.
"Seeing them on TV they looked pretty big but when you come up to them, they're not skinny, but they're lean and real tall," the 185cm centre said.
"I didn't realise how tall they were. It's different for me and Jarryd. We're one of the taller ones at our club but coming here we were one of the shortest."
Hayne did not hold back during training.
At one stage, with Eels physical performance manager Hayden Knowles looking on, Hayne took a mark over the back of a padded bag, before landing heavily on his side.
Knowles' friendship with Bombers fitness coach John Quinn brought the clubs together.
"They were very respectful of the Essendon Football Club and what we're trying to achieve here," Quinn said.
"They came here to learn, but I think our boys got just as much out of them as they did."
Quinn said Essendon could learn plenty from the Eels in defence.
Bombers assistant coach Scott Camporeale took the pair through the finer points of kicking.
While Inu and Hayne joined the Bombers, other Eels have spent time learning from Sydney Kings basketball coach Brian Goorjian, as well as the Central Coast Mariners in the A-League, while coach Michael Hagan spent time in the US studying NFL systems.
While Hayne and Inu were sending place-kicks through from 65m yesterday, the biggest official boot in NRL history is Dally Messenger.
The legendary Messenger kicked four goals from 60m during his career -- a century ago.
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