https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sp...r/news-story/5e51a5016226613776478744489073ba
Jarryd Hayne embraced by Parramatta but fans yet to be won over
They tell it like it is at the Moonee Beach Tavern. It was here that my family and I found ourselves as we snaked our way down the eastern seaboard over the Christmas holidays, a nondescript pub in an idyllic coastal town, rugby league the furthest thing from our minds.
Not so for a handful of blokes sitting in the bar with a beer as their companion and an opinion close at hand. They didn’t hold back when Jarryd Hayne flashed on the television screen, their acrid reactions providing a touchstone of the change in attitude towards a player who once induced excitement in the your average punter.
There was a time when they, like so many others, would avert their eyes to sneak a peak at some Hayne highlights. Audibly gasp as he bamboozled opponents. Not any more. One wondered aloud why anyone would pay money to watch Hayne play, let alone shell out big bucks to sign him.
The man in the street, particularly those with a Parramatta bent, have spent the off-season pondering what was going through Brad Arthur’s mind. Good luck that. Plenty have tried, few have been successful. Arthur can be taciturn at times, but he is also tactically astute, the sort of coach who seems to extract the best from those under his watch.
Needless to say, there is a method to Arthur’s madness, his conviction so strong he has never second-guessed the decision to bring Hayne home. No one would have blamed him had he done so. No sooner had Hayne lobbed on Arthur’s doorstep than the club was forced into defensive mode by revelations police in the US had investigated allegations of sexual assault made against the cross-code star when he was playing in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.
Police opted not to pursue charges, but Hayne is still facing a civil action in America which could hit him in the hip pocket. He is unlikely to face sanction from the NRL, but there have been repercussions.
The two-time Dally M Medal winner was not among the 32 players who will be paid by the NRL from a central fund to promote the game. The likelihood is that the Eels will be affected as well.
It’s hard to imagine the NRL pushing for Parramatta to open the season in the US next year given the publicity which Hayne could bring. Bearing that in mind, Arthur had every right to ruminate over his decision to recruit a footballer who for much of his career has been a human headline.
Instead, he stood alongside Hayne when the one-time NFL star fronted the media for the first time, a show of support for a player who could ultimately dictate the Eels’ season.
It’s a calculated gamble by Arthur, the closest Parramatta have come to playing Moneyball. Hayne brings big talent at a relatively small price. He turned his back on almost $500,000 to move back to Parramatta from the Gold Coast, viewed by many as a sign of intent to breathe life into a career which is on the brink.
The jury is out. Hayne’s work ethic has been a bugbear for coaches yet the Eels have gone out of their way to suggest he has worked hard on the training paddock in the pre-season.
He needs to, because his last season at the Titans was well short of expectation. The Gold Coast were glad to see the back of him, a trail of carnage left in his wake. Now he is Parramatta’s problem, although if you listen to captain Tim Mannah — one of Hayne’s closest friends — it’s a nice problem to have.
“I think a lot of people from the outside through it could ruin the chemistry,” Mannah said.
“Brad and I were always of the impression that we know what he is like and what he can do. We believed he would add to (the culture).
“He has added to it — not only have we got ourselves a world-class player, but we have got ourselves a leader and someone that thrives on the big games.
“Brad never flinched. He has a great working chemistry with Jarryd and Jarryd has a lot of respect for Brad. They have always worked well together. He knew he would bring the best out in Jarryd if he came back. The club has changed a lot in four years since he left — it has grown a lot. He has bought back into the culture and the attitudes Brad has built in our team.
“Back then we needed Jarryd to be the Jarryd he was. We created that Jarryd. We put a lot of pressure on him and the reality was that if he wasn’t playing, we weren’t a good team without him.
“The team has grown up a lot in the four years since. Whoever comes in does a good job. I think the team has grown up but I think Jarryd has grown up as well. He has come back a much more mature player.”
If that is the case, Arthur may have produced a masterstroke.
The Eels were finalists last year and the sense is that they are on the verge of something special. A club which has been starved of a premiership for three decades has the potential to relive the halcyon days.
Mannah has been at the club for more than a decade but insists this is the best squad he has worked with, even better than the 2009 side which made the grand final. Hayne was at the heart of that outfit, almost single-handedly getting them across the line. Now he is back and Mannah is embracing the expectation, along with the pressure and attention that comes with it.
“You want that expectation,” he said. “It does bring a bit more pressure but you would rather have that than not have it. It is a very balanced team and a lot of that comes down to what Brad Arthur has created.
“As well as the balance, there is the culture of the place. We have a group of people that love coming to work every day, we love turning up at training every day and we enjoy each other’s company.
“We spend a lot of time outside football together. It is a very tight-knit group and getting a taste of success on the field last year, made that bond even tighter.”
