He was absolutely a gifted player. However merkins who are discounting the importance of having a great 7 in your side, do so at their own peril.
I think also there are many players who have come and gone who are gifted and for their own reasons they have failed to reach that elite GOAT level by producing consistent performances. Tom Turbo, Ben Barba, Latrell Mitchell, Jarryd Hayne, even Tim Smith and others could have absolutely reached GOAT level. Instead, their own demons, being injury or mental fragility, marred their careers.
Maybe Hayne could have matured and reached that level if he didn’t pack up and go to 49ers at age 25 ?
Hayne was a victim of his own success in 2009.
He had an Ego similar to Latrell Mitchell has now & wasn't pulled up enough as a youngster so once they become the big dog its almost impossible for them to be reigned in.
There was also a lot instability of board level at the time during his career span,
You talk about number 7s - Hayne had to play with between 2009-2014 - Brett Finch, Kris Keating, Jeff Robson, Daniel Mortimer, Casey McGuire, Chris Sandow, Luke Kelly were talking average number 7s right there.
I don't think Billy Slater could have done much with that lot.
I would love to wind back time and Parra offered 550k on Adam Reynolds instead of Chris Sandow then Hayne wouldn't have had a 3 year period wasted on a halfback who went missing as much the Hayne Plane if not more.
If anything we would have got Adam Reynolds for a lot cheaper then Sandow as he was sitting behind him and was coming off an ACL after the 2010 Toyota Cup GF and missed most if not all of 2011.
Souths never made the finals under Sandow then went on under Reynolds to make 3 Prelims, a Premiership all in his first 3 seasons as a halfback.
