Hayne has lots to gain by waiting

JARRYD Hayne's manager, Wayne Beavis, says he will resist attempts by Parramatta to re-sign the young star to a long-term deal before the end of the season unless the Eels can come up with something extraordinary.

Hayne is contracted to Parramatta until the end of next season, but Beavis said the Eels - who are obviously determined not to let other clubs get a crack at the 19-year-old - had already approached him to talk about a new deal.

Beavis says Hayne can rival Melbourne's 20-year-old star, Greg Inglis, for earning capacity and that there is no risk in waiting to see how Hayne goes between now and the end of this season before talking about his future beyond 2008.

Hayne, who has made his name in first grade and for NSW in State of Origin on the wing, switches to fullback to cover for the injured Luke Burt against South Sydney at Parramatta Stadium on Sunday. Burt is out for up to eight weeks with a knee injury.

Hayne has been waiting for an opportunity to play fullback, and, while the circumstances are unfortunate, with the in-form Burt getting hurt against Newcastle on Monday, he will be aiming to grab the opportunity with both hands.

"Jarryd is an exceptional talent," Beavis said yesterday. "You only had to see the two tries he scored in the Origin series to know that. Parramatta have flagged to us that they would like to negotiate a new contract, but there's no gamble in Jarryd waiting, because he's just going to get better.

"Jarryd's happy at Parramatta and the club has been very supportive of him, but I've got to do the best for the kid. His earning capacity was going to go up even if he stayed on the wing, but his value has got the potential to go through the roof if he shows what he can do at fullback. I see a clear parallel between Jarryd and Greg Inglis, in that Inglis rose very quickly through his club and then through representative football, and Jarryd, who is 12 months younger than the other bloke, is doing the same.

"Jarryd has only played 30 first-grade games, but he's made a huge advance in that short time. The try he scored in Origin III was incredible. He beat four or five defenders in a very small space. He's tough, he's durable and he's got a great grasp of the game. That's why there's every chance he'll be just as successful at fullback as he's been on the wing."

Inglis is earning $400,000 a year and now that the Storm five-eighth is out of his teens, Hayne is the hottest teenager in the NRL.

"We're in no hurry to do a new contract," Beavis said. "Jarryd is only halfway through a three-year deal. We'll keep talking to Parramatta, but he's better off waiting until the end of the season before he thinks about his future. Parramatta would have to come up with something stunning to convince Jarryd to re-sign this early."

Hayne would become one of the most sought-after players on the market if other clubs were allowed to talk to him about 2009.

Meanwhile, Wests Tigers yesterday lost prop Bryce Gibbs from the side they named for tomorrow night's game against Manly at Brookvale Oval. Gibbs has not recovered from a medial ligament strain to his knee sustained against Penrith last weekend and will be out for two games.

Tigers coach Tim Sheens yesterday brought Jarrod Saffy into the 17-man squad for Gibbs, but there was no indication which forward would be elevated from the bench to the starting side.
And Brian McClennan yesterday confirmed he was quitting as New Zealand Test coach to take over at Leeds Rhinos in England.