Hayne to start on wing
Coach Michael Hagan has told Jarryd Hayne that he will start the season on the wing, but the youngster is keen to have a crack at his favoured position, fullback.
"That's my main position, and that's the position I want. Hopefully I'll get a shot there sometime next year" Hayne was quoted as saying.
"I spoke to 'Hages' the other day and he just wants me to start the season on the wing and if the opportunity comes he won't be reluctant to choose me there [fullback]. But I'm established as a winger now. That hasn't bothered me."
Hayne told the paper that he was dissapointed not to play on the Tri-nations tour, but said he was more "mature" for the experience.
"It's always disappointing when you miss out on a side, whether you're playing for Australia or playing park footy. But considering the people I was playing with - they're the top 23 players in Australia. You've got to look at it like that. It just took me a while to realise it," he said.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Eels must start better: Hagan
Michael Hagan has told the Sydney Morning Herald that he is very focused on avoiding Parramatta's traditional early season poor form.
"I don't think you can afford to be too slow out of the blocks and that mentality is something we probably need to change," the new Eels coach was quoted as saying.
"I think the more work we get in pre-season and the more healthy we are the start, the more likely we can get off to a good start. There're only a couple of guys that had any surgery and even they are still able to run so that's not a bad situation to be in."
Monday, December 04, 2006
The door's open, Hayne's waiting for the sun
JARRYD Hayne had double vision during the Tri-Nations. And it had nothing to do with boozy nights for the only Australian player who failed to play one minute of football during the tournament.
In front of him there seemed to be two doors. One opened to the frustrations of training most days but pulling on only his charcoal grey suit and green and gold tie on Tri-Nations game days. The Parramatta winger freely admits he knocked on that door a couple of times.
But eventually, with a gentle nudge from Kangaroos coach Ricky Stuart, the 18-year-old chose the other door.
Although "a bit disappointed" he didn't play during the tournament, he chose the course of recognising the bigger picture.
"I could have gone two ways," he said. "I could have whinged and whined, or I could have copped it on the chin and trained even harder.
"Sticky [Stuart] pulled me aside and spoke to me about the fact that I wasn't playing, and why. He told me to think of the future.
"I'm only 18, I'm just starting my career. Some of the boys are in the middle or at the end of their careers. He said I could take it two ways - I could get upset, get the shits and not be happy at training, or I could train even harder and try to tell him I'm just knocking on the door. I basically said, 'fair enough'.
So he copped it on the chin, a difficult thing for a player who climbed to such heights during the past NRL season.
Arguably the find of the season, he won 2006 rookie-of-the-year honours and was Parramatta's leading try-scorer, with 17. He was selected in the Prime Minister's XIII that took on the PNG national side, scoring two tries and impressing many.
Selection in the Australian squad followed, but he failed to grab a spot in any of the five games. So near yet so far, Hayne felt like he was stuck in some sort of vacuum between shame and fame.
"It was just the training," Hayne said.
"I was getting touched up every week. Because I wasn't playing, it was a bit like a pre-season. I was getting tired of just getting flogged. But I just realised that you've got to earn respect to get respect. Whatever they said I had to do, I did it.
"Look at the situation. Tatey [Brent Tate] couldn't even get a run at the start. If someone of the calibre of Brent Tate was struggling to get a run, it was always going to be hard. I could see other blokes getting a run, but at the end of the day, I'm only young. Hopefully I've got a lot more years in top grade ahead of me."
Hayne said the tour made him a "better person - more mature" in a year in which he admitted struggling with the rapid onset of celebrity.
"What I've achieved, what I've done, just being there in camp was something special," he said.
"It's always disappointing when you miss out on a side, whether you're playing for Australia or playing park footy. But considering the people I was playing with - they're the top 23 players in Australia. You've got to look at it like that. It just took me a while to realise it."
Hayne has already spoken with incoming Eels coach Michael Hagan about next season - the crucial second one, which can make or break a rookie like the second album can for a singer. After a week holidaying in Thailand, Hayne will turn his attention to 2007 - and the prospect of a switch to fullback, his preferred position.
"That's my main position, and that's the position I want," he said.
"Hopefully I'll get a shot there sometime next year. I spoke to 'Hages' the other day and he just wants me to start the season on the wing and if the opportunity comes he won't be reluctant to choose me there [fullback]. But I'm established as a winger now. That hasn't bothered me."
Nor will second-year syndrome, you get the feeling. There's every chance Hayne will again be the cause of blurred vision next year - but only when he races past an opponent at some speed.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Huaraki, Mateo and Lowrie in line for Widder's role
Michael Hagan has named Weller Huaraki as one of the Eel's young guns who will be right in contention for an NRL berth as the Eels look to fill some of the holes left by departed players. Asked by 1Eyed Eel at last week's open training session as to who had impressed him of the young players so far, Hagan nominated Huaraki, Kris Inu, Blake Green and Junior Paulo as leading the charge.
"There are some exciting times ahead for the club," Hagan said, emphasising his positive early impressions of the Eel's emerging players.
Feleti Mateo is another of the young Eels that Hagan will have his eye on.
"I spoke to Feleti last night, he's just got back from [representing] Tonga. I haven't actually met him yet, I've spoken to him a couple of times, but I think he's an exciting player - a very skillful player - and obviously with people like Dean Widders having left the club you've got to look to other players".
Weller Huaraki, too, would definitely "be in the mix" for a bench spot, as would former Knight, Todd Lowrie.
"Todd Lowrie I think will do a good job and is quite skillful and has come here to establish himself in the back row," said Hagan.
As well as those younger players, all of the senior players would naturally be considered for all positions, he said.
Lett Loose at Parramatta
In the world of Rugby League, June 16, 2004 will be remembered for that Billy Slater chip and chase try which secured Queensland an upset State or Origin victory.
But just a couple of hours earlier it was two young New South Welshman that had set Suncorp Stadium alight with a couple of performances that marked them as stars of the future in the Under 17 curtain raiser.
One of those youngsters was a 16-year old Jarryd Hayne who scored four tries on the wing for New South Wales as the Blues ran out easy 52 to 26 winners. But arguably the most impressive player on the field was the 17 year-old centre inside of him.
That youngster was Michael Lett, at the time a Rooster's junior and the kid who Arthur Beetson not-too-long-ago nominated as the hottest prospect in the game.
Grass isn't Greener in Melbourne
Up-and-coming Eels five-eighth Blake Green was offered first crack at the Melbourne number six jersey but turned it down to remain at the Eels.
Green told 1Eyed Eel that he was offered contracts with both Melbourne and Manly before deciding to stick with Parramatta for season 2007. However, he admits the Melbourne offer, which came with a guarantee he would get first crack at the NRL five-eighth position, was tantalising.
Eels sign Fa'aoso
Parramatta has confirmed the signing of former Castleford, Roosters and Penrith forward Richard Fa'aoso. Fa'aso's signing, follows the move of Michael Vella to English Super League newbie Hull KR.
While Fa'aso was a back-rower while in Australia, Parramatta is more likely to use him in a front row capacity.
The Eels go into the 2007 season with six props with NRL experience - Nathan Cayless, Fuifui Moimoi, Aaron Cannings, Josh Cordoba, Justin Tsoulos and Fa'aoso, while the likes of Junior Paulo and Brendan Oake provide additional depth.
Tahu linked with Union
Two Parramatta names cropped up in Rugby Union discussions today with Eels stars Nathan Hindmarsh and Timana Tahu both linked to the code. The Sun Herald said that Hindmarsh was on a "wish list" of forwards.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Mail declared that "Parramatta strike weapon Timana Tahu is also contemplating defecting to Australia's Rugby World Cup campaign in 2011".
Tooooooooks retires
Former Eels cult here Mark Tookey has announced his retirement, despite having only just announced he was returning to Australia to play in the Queensland cup. Tookey was a popular player at Parramatta with his massive frame and with every hitup Parra Stadium would reverberate to the call of "Tooooks".
However, he left the club to play the Warriors where he failed to make the same impression, before heading to the UK to play the English Super League. He knocked back ESL offers to return to Australia and had planned to play in the Queensland Cup for Redcliffe but has apparently had a change of heart, instead announcing his retirement.
Hagan excited as troubled halves combine
Aside from the fact they will both start in the halves during Parramatta's 2007 NRL campaign, Tim Smith and Brent Finch have something else in common.
Both would probably been keen to forget inconsistent 2006 seasons.
Smith missed the Eels' charge to the finals with injury and got into trouble off the field in alcohol-related incidents.
Finch, despite kicking the winning field goal in the opening State of Origin, lost the support of Roosters fans and could not hold down a position as the side slumped to second-last in the NRL.
But new Parramatta coach Michael Hagan is excited at the prospect of combining their talents.
"Tim Smith is a very talented player which he showed in his debut season and glimpses of this season and Brett Finch played some good footy in the last six to eight weeks of the Roosters at five-eighth," Hagan said.
"But they need to work well together and they need to have confidence for them to do that, so it's going to be a huge part of our pre-season trying to make sure they're both comfortable in their respective roles."
Hagan, who joined the club from Newcastle in a swap of jobs with Brian Smith, has settled in well and is most excited about getting the chance to see the talents of his young players develop.
He also has his eye on a number of the club's Premier League-winning squad that he feels can make an impact in first grade and help fill the void left by Glenn Morrison, Wade McKinnon, Dean Widders and Matt Peterson, who have all left the club.
"One of the things that impressed me about Parramatta is that there are a group of younger players that have been in the system for a number years," he said.
"I've inherited a very good roster and a good structure to work with an I'm looking forward to seeing a number of those players come through over the next couple of years."
Youngsters Zebelon Taia, Weller Hauraki, Feleti Mateo and Junior Paulo have already caught the coach's eye.
Another big focus for Hagan is getting the side performing early and avoiding a repeat of the Eels' sluggish start to recent seasons.
"I don't think you can afford to be too slow out of the blocks and that mentality is something we probably need to change," he said.
"I think the more work we get in pre-season and the more healthy we are the start, the more likely we can get off to a good start.
"There're only a couple of guys that had any surgery and even they are still able to run so that's not a bad situation to be in."