Jarryd Hayne's magic run no fluke
* Tyson Otto
* From: The Daily Telegraph
* March 23, 2010 12:00AM
IT WASN'T a fluke, it wasn't just another Jarryd Hayne magic moment - it was a team effort months in the making.
The Eels spectacular 108m contender for try of the year, which was scored by centre Timana Tahu at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday in the Eels 24-20 win over Manly, might have looked like a freak improvisation but the Eels have practised line breaks twice a week since November.
"We do a lot of drills where the whistle blows and you're in a break situation, so you've got people coming at you with speed and you've got to come up with some answers to try and score," Eels winger Eric Grothe said after a recovery session at Parramatta Stadium yesterday.
"We do it pretty regularly so it comes across as second nature when it happens in a game."
Luke Burt, Daniel Mortimer and Timana Tahu, who all played vital roles in their team's second try, downplayed their clinical response to superstar Hayne's line break in the 61st minute, saying they were well prepared how to act when the fullback broke the first Manly tackle.
Mortimer sprinted up the field before Hayne had even run ahead of him or the 10m line.
"You could see it in his eyes that he could see a gap, so I just started to get on my bike and before I knew it he was cruising past me," Mortimer said.
"It shows the level of confidence we have in each other as a team. You have to take the risk and support them."
Eels physical performance manager Hayden Knowles has worked tirelessly with the Eels on their support play in line break situations.
The Eels' immediate support work for Hayne's bust is the result of coach Daniel Anderson and Knowles constantly getting players to react to game situations at training.
Grothe said there had been times at training sessions where players would be in the middle of tackling drills only for the whistle to blow and Knowles to tell them to make a line break from where they stood.
