RUGBY league legend Tommy Raudonikis is the latest to take a pot-shot at Gold Coast Titans star Jarryd Hayne.
Raudonikis took aim at Hayne’s form throughout the 2017 season, slamming the attitude of the Gold Coast marquee fullback.
Hayne had not performed up to the standard of a player on a reported $1.2 million per season.
“One thing I hate in sport, is blokes not having a go,” Raudonikis told the NRL Footy Show.
“For me, he didn’t have a go this year.
“Put it this way, Jarryd Hayne went to America to have a go at the gridiron, he didn’t get a jersey, he didn’t get a contract. But here in Australia, our media made him into a hero. He failed. On his way back to Australia he wanted to have a go at playing Rugby Union to get in their World Cup sides or Sevens, he couldn’t get a run.”
But when NRL Footy Show panellist Beau Ryan challenged Raudonikis on his claim that Hayne failed in his time in the NFL, that’s when things got interesting.
RYAN: He played six NFL games, how’s he failed? He’s played six NFL games
TOMMY: Did he get a contract?
RYAN: He had the opportunity to get the contract but chose to go to Rugby
TOMMY: So he chose to go to Rugby and play for Fiji, over America? That’s a load of rubbish. He couldn’t get into the Fijian side and then he came and he conned the NRL and the Titans to pay him $1.2 million per year — he hadn’t played rugby league for two years.
They are crazy, they must want to just lose money.
Raudonikis also took aim at current Australian coach Mal Menginga’s plan to make Hayne captain of the Titans, in order to unlock his star potential.
“Mal Menginga said to make him a captain,” Raudonikis said.
“To be a captain, you have to have people looking up to you. And also, to those people, you must set an example. I’ll finish up with this. I would not be in a trench alongside him, thank you.”
Former teammate of Hayne, Brett Finch also gave an insight into what the fullback is currently lacking in the NRL.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/nrl/to...m/news-story/5bd2b820c34e0231822ad07d4a3076a2
When asked on
Fox Sports’ Late Show with Matty Johns, Finch said he would only pay around $600,000 for Hayne’s services, given what he is currently displaying for the Titans.
“I played with blokes that are on over a million dollars,” Finch said.
“When you’re on that money, it’s so much more than what you do in the 80 minutes on the weekend. Cameron Smith is the greatest player I’ve seen and my favourite player I’ve ever played with. The things that make him so special to me have nothing to do with the things he does on game day.
“His leadership, what he does around the club, his selflessness, how hard he works, all those sorts of things. I think if you’re on so much money, there’s so much more (to do).”
“He is a quality player, I just hope the back end of his career he really finishes his career in the right manner.”
