'I'm keen to play on': Hayne ready to be Eels' No.1 again

Jarryd Hayne has finally opened up about his playing future, revealing he wants to stay on at Parramatta in the No.1 jersey.Hayne returned to the Eels at the start of 2018 on a one-year deal, taking a mammoth $700,000 pay cut in order to do so. From the moment he left the Titans, one of the biggest storylines of the year has been whether the cross-code star will be able to do enough to justify another NRL contract.Jarryd Hayne has unfinished business at Parramatta.Jarryd Hayne has unfinished business at Parramatta.Photo: Adam McLeanThe 30-year-old got off to a slow start, the result of injuries and a stomach illness that left him feeling bloated and requiring surgeries.However, the two-time Dally M medalist has shown flashes of his brilliant best once he regained full fitness. Playing in a variety of positions, Hayne finished the year with a club-best 10 tries from 15 appearances, as well as topping the Parramatta charts for line breaks and tackle busts.Eels coach Brad Arthur has made no secret of his desire to retain Hayne, but the man himself has deflected all queries about his future. However, with Parramatta’s season finally over, Hayne said he had unfinished business and wanted to play on for the club next year.Advertisement“That obviously would be good, yeah,” Hayne told Fairfax Media. “I always knew that when I was fully healthy I’d be able to do what I do. It was good to personally finish strong but I’d rather win a few more games.”RELATED ARTICLECock-a-hoop: Roosters trounce sorry Eels to secure minor premiershipROOSTERSCock-a-hoop: Roosters trounce sorry Eels to secure minor premiershipAdd to shortlistHayne started nine games at centre and five on the wing during his Eels comeback, although he often popped up all over the field after being given a roving commission from Arthur. It was only in the final game of the season, a 44-10 loss to the Roosters, that Hayne was given the chance to start at fullback.Clint Gutherson, Bevan French and Corey Norman spent time in the custodian role during a disastrous season that finished with the wooden spoon. However, Hayne was solid in a badly beaten team in his only appearance in the No.1 jersey, scoring a try, notching 10 tackle breaks and running for 155 metres. Asked his preferred position next season, Hayne said: “I think I answered that [against the Roosters].”The addition of Hayne to a side that made the top-four last season prompted many pundits to tip Parramatta to go even further in 2018. However, the Eels finished with their third wooden spoon in just seven seasons. Hayne has been there for them all them.Given the diabolical result, coupled with the salary he sacrificed to leave the Titans with a year to run on a lucrative deal, it would be understandable if Hayne was second-guessing his decision. Asked if he had any regrets about returning to Sydney’s west, Hayne said: “Definitely no regrets. I came back for the right reasons and obviously it was a big sacrifice coming back.“It was good to come back and do what I could, helping out in whatever way I could. Obviously it’s disappointing, we don’t want to be here. We just couldn’t get into our groove this year. We showed signs and patches at the end there but we were way too slow to start the year.“It wasn’t good enough. We knew we had to put back to back games together. It took too long to get going.”The Eels will be bolstered by the additions of Blake Ferguson, Junior Paulo and Shaun Lane next year. However, there could be further changes once a review into the football department is complete.Hayne remained hopeful Parramatta could turn their fortunes around.“It’s obviously a huge task,” Hayne said. “We’ll talk about it when we do our review but it’s that tough to put your finger on things. We showed it in patches this year but we just weren’t ruthless enough in attack.“We obviously didn’t score enough points, our for-and-against wasn’t up there where we wanted it to be. It’s definitely disappointing.”

"Maybe it's because I've played and am more empathetic to players and coaches and how hard it really is.Its why I get discouraged but not like some of the rubbish written here.Some of the stuff on here is just over the top.It feels like a living…"

Replies

MontoEel September 4, 2018 at 10:32pm

I think Jayne is better on the wing as he's getting to slow
- Maj. John Reisman > MontoEel September 5, 2018 at 11:52am
  
  Wouldn't it then be more logical to have a fast winger ? Not sure it tactically makes sense to have your fastest player at fb makes more sense to me to put your fastest player on the wing ?
Cʜɪᴇғ - September 4, 2018 at 10:41pm

I think we can almost pencil him in. His best position is fb. Just needs to get fully fit and injury free
- Cranky Brad is here!!! > Cʜɪᴇғ - September 4, 2018 at 10:46pm
  
  Agree chief
- Cranky Brad is here!!! > Cʜɪᴇғ - September 4, 2018 at 10:53pm
  
  Like all the coach's before ba to coach hayne hey fongy?
  - Frank The Tank > Cranky Brad is here!!! September 4, 2018 at 10:59pm
    
    Pretty much
  - Poupou Escobar > Cranky Brad is here!!! September 4, 2018 at 11:03pm
    
    The gun coaches don't want anything to do with Hayne.
    - Kramerica > Poupou Escobar September 5, 2018 at 12:41am
      
      Be serious Pou. That theory has never been tested - he has only ever wanted to play for Parra.
      - Poupou Escobar > Kramerica September 5, 2018 at 9:21am
        
        And the Titans
        
        Uncle Wizards Sleeve indigenous elder He/Him > Poupou Escobar September 5, 2018 at 9:25am
        
        Apparently the NRL forced him to take that huge paycheque.