Tackle 2 – Feathers ruffled over Hayne
If you care to heed Jarryd Hayne’s social media commentary, there appears little chance he’ll line up for the Roosters in the near future.
Well Jarryd, it appears as though you are right!
Although they’ve been watching him with interest over the past 12 months, the Roosters have rapidly cooled on the idea of signing Hayne to what would have to be the code’s richest deal.
A number of factors have dampened their interest over the past months or so. The first is the fact Hayne’s manager, Wayne Beavis, is part of the NRL’s salary cap investigation into Parramatta and could face sanctions.
As a consequence of that probe, the Roosters know the NRL will be closet watching whatever package is compiled to entice Hayne back to rugby league.
The upshot? Hayne will end up taking up an enormous chunk of club’s salary cap. That’s made the Roosters question whether he’ll be worth all the trouble.
They know Hayne - the ultimate individual athlete - won’t make the same difference to the team’s culture and work ethic as Sonny bill Williams in 2013.
While at Parramatta Hayne was known to regularly train alone, or refuse certain drills altogether.
Then there’s the question of what his recruitment would do to the attitude and progression of teenage superstar Latrell Mitchell.
Sure the 18-year-old is far from polished; but few could argue his rookie season has been any less impressive than Hayne’s a decade ago.