What's the hype about #38 Jarryd Hayne?

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By Julian Clarkstone (@julianc93)

A few short weeks ago, Jarryd Hayne made his NFL debut for the San Francisco 49ers. Admittedly, it was not the greatest start to his career, dropping the first punt, but he regained his composure and was solid for the remainder of the match against Minnesota Vikings. Furthermore, his 37 yard punt return provided a rare highlight in San Francisco’s 47-7 loss against Arizona last week.

Rewind the clock back to late last year; I am getting text messages about Jarryd Hayne being in a press conference. Some people are saying that he is about to sign an extension on his contract with the Parramatta Eels.

As a devout Parramatta Eels fan I am ecstatic to hear the news, just after he won his second Dally M Medal for being the best player in the 2014 NRL season. Soon after I hear more information about a switch to the NFL. I can’t believe it, but sure enough, not long after Hayne says he is set to chase his dream in the United States of America. I was in disbelief that the best player at the Eels would not be there in 2015.

At first, I’m honestly hoping he doesn’t succeed in the NFL so he can go back to the Eels, then as the story progresses I become excited. I am excited because he is a talented and popular athlete that has the capacity to increase the awareness of Rugby League on a scale that was never possible before. I’m also excited by the possibility of him achieving something really special in a foreign sport. I, like many other Australians, have jumped on flight number 38, courtesy of the Hayne Plane, and am now a San Francisco 49ers supporter.

NRL fans often had opposing opinions regarding Hayne. Many people (including myself) thought that he was the best and most athletic player in the entire competition, purely because he still managed to achieve such great success in under-performing teams, both for the Eels and for the New South Wales State of Origin Team. Either way, Hayne was definitely an extremely popular character and the fait of his team often appeared to rest on his shoulders. That was probably why entire television advertisements of the New South Wales Team were dedicated to Hayne and singled him out as “the savior.” I found myself supporting Hayne as much as the Eels, New South Wales or Australia and felt a great feeling of I told you so, when New South Wales won the 2014 State of Origin series after Hayne finally played the entire series in his preferred position of Fullback (they lost the previous eight series)

I am from Sydney but was in a Brisbane shopping centre in 2010. I saw a claw machine where Rugby League balls were the prizes. There were footballs that had different team logos on them. Then, there was a Jarryd Hayne ball… Hayne played in a team in another state, where their fans often hate each other when the State of Origin Series takes place, but he is the only NRL player with his own ball. Similarly, his huge social media following relative to other NRL athletes as well as the sales of the Eels #1 jersey spoke volumes of his popularity.

I, and practically every other Eels fan will never forget the 2009 season in particular. The Eels were sitting a long way from finals contention, having won 5 matches from 16. They then won their next 7, where Hayne was the Man of the Match in every single match and the Eels eventually lost in the Grand Final (although the Melbourne Storm were stripped of the title for salary cap breaches). Every time he touched the ball my attention intensified in hope that something amazing would happen. Surely enough, NRL fans witnessed some of the most outstanding individual displays of all time, including his ridiculous tries against the Tigers and the Dragons.

Australians and Rugby League fans throughout the globe are watching Hayne’s story with the utmost interest. The Premier of New South Wales recently expressed interest in bringing a San Francisco 49ers game to Sydney. Judging by the enormous amount of media attention the story is gathering, it would sell out very fast, and one seat would definitely have my name on it.

Other than seeing the 49ers in action in Sydney, I’d love to see the Eels do the reverse and take a match or two to San Francisco. I have no idea if my Eels membership includes a free trip overseas, but it would be amazing to see the NRL gain more exposure in the USA.  In my eyes, this story presents a huge opportunity for Rugby League. I have no idea what will result, but it would be amazing to see more athletes from the USA be inspired to try Rugby League as a result of learning about the skills the game requires, such as speed, power and endurance. Some of them could transfer their skills from American Football and who knows, hopefully they will crack into the NRL or Super League.

How does the name the San Francisco Eels sound for a new USARL team? Also, if Hayne stays in the USA long enough, he may even become a citizen and could qualify for the USARL Hawks Rugby League team (just a thought)

NRL and Parramatta Eels fans were very disappointed to see Hayne leave to the NFL. This has now turned to excitement to see him pursue a dream that is in unchartered waters for Australian athletes. There is just as much excitement because he can teach Americans about the great game of Rugby League. I know I have been paying close attention and have read enough news articles on his story over the past few months, learning new terms like ‘stiff arm’. I think almost everyone in Australia now wants Jarryd Hayne to be as big of a success in the NFL as he was in the NRL. And on the chance he scores a touch down, it would be a welcome sight to see his signature move, the Hayne Plane, out in full flight in front of a packed house at Levis Stadium.