Bidding war for Jarryd Hayne’s services
The Australian
June 20, 2014 12:00AM
JARRYD Hayne is about to spark a furious bidding war. The man who threatens the Wallabies’ Israel Folau as the most valuable footballer in Australia has started contract negotiations with Parramatta but free agency is on the horizon.
Top-drawer NRL clubs and possibly the 15-man code will attempt to acquire his services if they believe he can be lured from the Eels at the end of next season.
For turnstile-spinning, TV ratings and club endorsements, Hayne is a money-making *machine for any franchise.
His Eels clubmate, the NSW State of Origin winger Will Hop*oate, is also off contract at the end of 2015. The Eels may struggle to retain both because of salary cap restraints. Part of the strategy of signing Hopoate before his two-year Mormon mission was to have him as insurance if Hayne headed elsewhere.
The Blues fullback will be the Eels’ priority. Cashed-up clubs such as Canterbury and Canberra are certain to pounce on any opportunity. Manly and the Sydney Roosters have fullbacks coming to the ends of their careers.
At some point in the next 12 months, Hayne is set to overtake Cameron Smith, Johnathan Thurston and Inglis as the highest-paid player in the NRL.
He set Origin I alight with relentless attack. He fought through illness during a more stoic performance in Origin II to earn the ultimate on-field accolade from NSW coach Laurie Daley.
“It’s a big rap but I think he’s the best of them. I think he’s the best player in the game,” Daley said.
“He was seriously crook (on Wednesday). We couldn’t afford to lose him and he toughed it out.
“His energy was off because he was so crook but he battled on. His carries were still strong, but I think you could tell he was really hurting. I’m telling you, he’s a great, great, player.”
Gastroenteritis caused by food poisoning put Hayne in doubt for Origin II until he crossed paths with a mate in the lobby of Homebush’s Pullman Hotel on the morning of NSW’s 6-4 win.
“I came down with a stomach bug,” Hayne said. “I was up spewing, diarrhoea and vomiting. Probably I haven’t gone into a game so worried. I had nothing in me. It was good when I saw a friend in the foyer. He looked me straight in the eye, he had no sympathy for me. He goes: ‘Everyone has been there ... Don’t make an excuse.’ When I heard that, it really changed my mindset, stopped me feeling sorry for myself. It was tough but no one was going to care about that on the footy field.”
He averted two disasters at ANZ Stadium. He knocked the ball out of Sam Thaiday’s hands to prevent a crucial Queensland try.
And he narrowly avoided running straight into the post-match fireworks display when he took the ball over the dead ball line, and all the way to the crowd, at full-time. The Maroons’ winning streak had gone up in smoke.
Hayne nearly did, too.
