So, the way I read everything:
* Hayne says he's not ready to play 5/8 just yet and wants to play fullback;
* Kearney has publicly agreed with this notion;
* Hayne openly admits he might end up moving to 5/8 at some point down the line;
* Hayne says he will move on from his Origin snub (and make no mistake - this was a snub) and focus on playing well for Parramatta.
...And he's labelled as an arrogant twit? Really?
I do not understand - where does the notion that Jarryd Hayne is an arrogant, petulant twit stem from? If he and his coach both publicly declare he will play fullback for this club for the foreseeable future, then I think it is acceptable for him to declare, "Fullback is where I'll play and that's the end of that chapter," as both his boss and himself have agreed on the subject.
Jarryd Hayne is what I call a true competitor, but not in the cliched, euphemistic sense of the word - he loves what he does and he hates losing. When he lashes out at teammates or referees or even opponents I do not accept that as him being petulant or arrogant, but rather competitive. He wants to win - Jarryd Hayne is a winner. He does everything humanly possible to win for his team. And who here can honestly admit they have never yelled at a teammate in the heat of battle out of frustration and/or physical and/or mental fatigue? I yelled at my teammates a few times because they were dead-set bludging - I was out there taking three hit-ups per set and some of them were standing 10 metres behind me, hands on hips, huffing and puffing, and I yelled at them. It doesn't make me arrogant, nor does it mean I'm not all about the team - it actually displays my passion for the team, and playing to the best of our abilities for the win, if you ask me.
And even if one does claim Jarryd is arrogant - so what? He is 23 years old, he has played for Australia, Fiji, NSW and in Finals football. He has already won a Dally M Medal and is regarded as one of the best players on the planet by observers who actually have half a clue about football. Add to all this he earns big dollars, and it is not too difficult to understand why a young man in his position might start to believe his own hype. But unlike so many other promising youngsters, Hayne hasn't fallen off the face of the Earth once this hype has been heaped upon him - no, he has actually risen to the challenge. He single-handedly tore the Bulldogs apart. He single-handedly set a new record for line-break assists in a single game of football. He nearly won Parramatta the game last week all on his own. He is somewhere on the top 10 in terms of try assists and other significant statistics. Basically, he has proven that the kudos he receives are well earned.
Is he the perfect player? No, but then I can't think of one player who is. But is this young man worthy of people laying off him a bit, sticking their support behind him and hoping he stays with this club that he loves (and he does love this club, let me tell you) and guides it to a Premiership? Hell yes.
I am sure Jarryd doesn't read this forum, but if he does, allow me to say: he is a mind-bogglingly talented young man who has a very humble head on his shoulders (I, and many others on here, I am sure, have had the pleasure of talking to him, and he is a very good guy) and bleeds for this club. I find it would be my absolute privilege to see him run out for my beloved Eels every week from now until he retires.
And I'd like to add - this notion that Hindmarsh hates Hayne is gibberish. Hindmarsh is an absolute legend and a gem of a man, but he has become increasingly cranky over the last 18 months or so. He is openly not a fan of "show-ponies", but then that says more about his like for old-school footballing values than his supposed hatred for Hayne. Blokes like Luke Burt, Joel Reddy, Ben Smith and Eric Grothe all speak highly of Hayne.
Wow. That was a rant. I apologise, but I feel it needed to be said.
