NRL CEO David Smith says Jarryd Haynes departure shows NRL develops some of the best talent in the world
DAVID SMITH
The Daily Telegraph
October 19, 2014 12:00AM
WHEN the Parramatta Eels rang me this week to tell me Jarryd Hayne was leaving Rugby League I was stunned.
Stunned because if ever there was a natural athlete who looked custom made for Rugby League it was Jarryd.
Hes got it all
size, speed, power so youd be crazy to suggest we wont miss him.
But what it shows is that the NRL has become a big sport which develops some of the best talent in the world.
As Jarryd said himself, he was just a kid from Minto whose dream was to buy his mum a house.
But, like so many others, his skill was identified, nurtured and developed to the point where he became a superstar.
And, more and more, talent spotters are looking in awe at the athletes we produce in the NRL and trying to lure them to other sports.
Its a compliment to our game.
It recognises that we can take raw talent and turn it into something special.
Barely 24 hours after Jarryd announced he was trying his hand at the NFL, young Penrith fullback Matt Moylan proudly walked past Rugby League headquarters with his Kangaroos kit bag.
It was another case of watching a player with raw talent become an elite athlete.
When one star leaves, another enters the big stage.
And here he was heading off to join the likes of Greg Inglis, Cam Smith, Robbie Farah, Cooper Cronk and a host of other big names
not just in the NRL, but in the Kangaroos squad!
Thats why I believe we are entering one of the most exciting eras of Rugby League history.
Never before have we had such an array of young talent coming through our ranks at the same time.
In fact, the Australian team has 11 new faces for the Four Nations tournament which begins next weekend.
Thats not something to bemoan
it should be a celebration of the strength and depth of the game.
Well do everything we can to keep the best in Rugby League because this is a big game and we know the fans want to watch the likes of Inglis and Johnathan Thurston play for their clubs, in Origin and in international matches.
And we will send our best wishes to those like Jarryd who have a dream.
Rugby League will continue to thrive. And it will continue to produce the next generation of amazing athletes.
