Troubled Eel told to fight for his place

PARRAMATTA star Jarryd Hayne yesterday issued the challenge to teammate Tim Smith to knuckle down and force his way back into the Eels' starting side.

While Hayne will step out for the Eels against the Warriors in New Zealand on Sunday - the 20-year-old's first game since being shot at in an incident at Kings Cross - Smith will again be forced to run around in the NSW Cup for Wentworthville.

And should Brett Finch and Feleti Mateo again fire in the halves on the other side of the Tasman this weekend, just as they did in the second half against the Bulldogs on Saturday, Smith could be biding his time on the sidelines a lot longer than expected.

But Hayne had no doubts 23-year-old Smith, who had an off-season marred by several alcohol-related incidents, would muscle his way back into the side.

"Tim will definitely be back in first grade, but it's going to be hard for him," Hayne said during a pool session with the team yesterday.

"Brett and Feleti have been great. Finchy brings that calmness to the team and has the maturity while Feleti has that flair.

"But Tim has to work to get his position back. I have to work hard to get my position back, as will Weller (Hauraki) and Junior (Paulo). But if there wasn't that challenge it wouldn't be fun."

Hayne, who again denied he would give up the booze, but knew the limits now the season had started, hated it on the sidelines for the Bulldogs clash as punishment over the Kings Cross drama.

He said his replacement Taulima Tautai did a remarkable job and would have secured man of the match honours had Finch not be on the park.

Hayne is expected to replace Krisnan Inu who yesterday underwent MRI scans to an ankle injury he picked up late in the Bulldogs clash.

But Inu will be named in the squad for the Warriors clash and, should he recover, Tautai will drop off.

Coach Michael Hagan said while he was happy to have Hayne back in the mix, Smith was still a work in progress.