Australian Rugby superstar seeks NFL tryouts

Australian superstar Jarryd Hayne sensationally quit his rugby league team on Wednesday in order to pursue a career in the NFL.

The Australian international, who won the National Rugby League's highest individual accolade -- The Dally M Medal -- for a second time just last month, has been given a conditional release by his club, the Parramatta Eels, in order to follow his NFL dream.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11703333/aussie-star-jarryd-hayne-ditches-rugby-chase-nfl-dream

6-foot-2, 220-pounds, 26

Hayne walked away from one of the highest paying rugby league contracts in the world. He visited the United States in September to look at the Seattle Seahawks' facilities on a study trip with the Eels.

The way he runs back kicks is like a bigger, faster, stronger Edelman (Note: I'm not saying he will be as good as Edelman, just plays a different sport with a similar style). With it looking like he's going to Seattle I'm assuming they will want him returning punts, which he has the skill set to excel at.

He's one of the biggest names in Rugby League and one of the best players too - him leaving the sport is like if someone like Megatron walked away from the NFL to play something else. Genuine World Class sportsman.

As for a position outside of special teams - he was a Fullback in RL which is similar to a FS in Football, WR or RB would also be interesting options.

This is huge news here in Australia because he really is one of the best players in Rugby League. I'm a big fan of Jarryd as he grew up about 10min away from me and I've followed his entire career. I have to give him a lot of credit for chasing this challenge because from a financial perspective this is a bad move. Realistically he will be back playing Rugby League or Union again in 2-3 years.

He is an elite RL athlete which is why he is so dominant, but that only translates to an average NFL athlete. He will no longer have a huge physical advantage over everyone else. Position wise its really tough to see a fit. His running style is far too upright to be a RB and he will get lit up between the tackles. I don't think he has the time to develop as a WR and catching a pass is completely different than catching a ball in RL. Ideally his best position is safety but at his age with no experience in the game I can't see him learning enough to make a team, even as a backup.

Where I do think he could be excellent is as a special teamer. He is big, athletic, can catch and tackle. Given some time he would have a good shot at making a roster as a core special teamer with the possibility of being a PR/KR. Realistically I think his ceiling is a more athletic Nate Ebner, potentially with some return skills.

The problem is would he be willing to take this role? Make no mistake Hayne has an ego. He has always been a big fish in a small pond and he likes it that way. He isn't great in practice, has some work ethic and motivation issues and I really doubt he would take well to being the 52nd or 53rd guy on a roster when he could be a top 3 player in Rugby League and probably Rugby Union.

Long term I don't see him being willing to make half to a third of what he could make in other sports to be a special teamer in the NFL. I think if he made the switch earlier he probably could have made a very good safety but at this stage with absolutely no experience in the sport I just cant see it happening. Its a cool story now but I think in the end it will turn out being nothing.

Palm Beach Pats Fan said:

Hayne walked away from one of the highest paying rugby league contracts in the world. He visited the United States in September to look at the Seattle Seahawks' facilities on a study trip with the Eels.

Click to expand...

Wilfork#75 said:

Where I do think he could be excellent is as a special teamer. He is big, athletic, can catch and tackle. Given some time he would have a good shot at making a roster as a core special teamer with the possibility of being a PR/KR. Realistically I think his ceiling is a more athletic Nate Ebner, potentially with some return skills.

The problem is would he be willing to take this role? Make no mistake Hayne has an ego. He has always been a big fish in a small pond and he likes it that way. He isn't great in practice, has some work ethic and motivation issues and I really doubt he would take well to being the 52nd or 53rd guy on a roster when he could be a top 3 player in Rugby League and probably Rugby Union.

Long term I don't see him being willing to make half to a third of what he could make in other sports to be a special teamer in the NFL. I think if he made the switch earlier he probably could have made a very good safety but at this stage with absolutely no experience in the sport I just cant see it happening. Its a cool story now but I think in the end it will turn out being nothing.

Click to expand...

The results from other rugby players haven't been that encouraging. Ebner has probably had the most success, and he has an incredible work ethic, and it's taken 3 years before he can start to show signs of playing well on the field (outside of STs).

I don't particularly understand the appeal of the NFL to so many of these track and field and rugby players. Look at Lawrence Okoye. He's spent a year on IR and a year (so far) on the PS. Not exactly a glamour role for a former Olympian with freakish athleticism, and certainly nothing financially that will set him up long term.

I would assume Hayne can make good money at Rugby, plus endorsements, plus all the attention and adulation that comes with being a star in a popular local sport. Why give that up for a tryout and what is likely to be a multi-year process to make it in the NFL as a role player?

Hayne was making something like $500k AUD from Parramatta + whatever else from endorsements and bonuses for playing for New South Wales and Australia.

The thing is though, from what he's saying it isn't about money. He's said his career goal was to buy his Mother a house which he's already done and that everything else is a bonus. This is just trying to fulfil a dream of playing in the NFL.

He's also nothing like other Rugby players to try - he plays Rugby League for starters, a much faster & physical version where as Hayden Smith & Nate Ebner played Rugby Union which is a slower paced game. Ebner & Smith didn't really play at a high level too, Hayne played in the best league in the sport and played internationally.

No better way to get Australian eyeballs watching NFL games than to suit up a homegrown. Goodell....genius. I absolutely believe "other" types of "compensation" will find the pockets of this player.
Think Yao Ming. The Chinese slobbered over the NBA once they had a reason to pay attention. Here's a reason for the Aussies to stop chasing crocs and start watching football.
And......only a 6 hour time difference ....watching west coast games during breakfast.....much the same as East coast viewers watching Euro soccer

borg said:

No better way to get Australian eyeballs watching NFL games than to suit up a homegrown. Goodell....genius. I absolutely believe "other" types of "compensation" will find the pockets of this player.
Think Yao Ming. The Chinese slobbered over the NBA once they had a reason to pay attention. Here's a reason for the Aussies to stop chasing crocs and start watching football.
And......only a 6 hour time difference ....watching west coast games during breakfast.....much the same as East coast viewers watching Euro soccer

Click to expand...

Every Australian knows Rugby League fans have the collective IQ's of Jetsteelebroncos fans.

ausbacker said:

Every Australian knows Rugby League fans have the collective IQ's of Jetsteelebroncos fans.

Click to expand...

But aren't the majority of Aussies RL fans?

mayoclinic said:

The results from other rugby players haven't been that encouraging. Ebner has probably had the most success, and he has an incredible work ethic, and it's taken 3 years before he can start to show signs of playing well on the field (outside of STs).

I don't particularly understand the appeal of the NFL to so many of these track and field and rugby players. Look at Lawrence Okoye. He's spent a year on IR and a year (so far) on the PS. Not exactly a glamour role for a former Olympian with freakish athleticism, and certainly nothing financially that will set him up long term.

I would assume Hayne can make good money at Rugby, plus endorsements, plus all the attention and adulation that comes with being a star in a popular local sport. Why give that up for a tryout and what is likely to be a multi-year process to make it in the NFL as a role player?

Click to expand...

I think its the challenge. The NFL is seen as the pinnacle of sport so these top athletes want to prove themselves. I have to give Hayne credit for taking on this challenge but at the same time I think a lot of it also has to do with ego.

Big-T said:

Hayne was making something like $500k AUD from Parramatta + whatever else from endorsements and bonuses for playing for New South Wales and Australia.

The thing is though, from what he's saying it isn't about money. He's said his career goal was to buy his Mother a house which he's already done and that everything else is a bonus. This is just trying to fulfil a dream of playing in the NFL.

He's also nothing like other Rugby players to try - he plays Rugby League for starters, a much faster & physical version where as Hayden Smith & Nate Ebner played Rugby Union which is a slower paced game. Ebner & Smith didn't really play at a high level too, Hayne played in the best league in the sport and played internationally.

Click to expand...

Hayne turned down over $1m AUD per year from the NRL and could easily get $1.5m+ AUD in French Rugby. He certainly isn't doing it for the money because he will most likely be making significantly less on the league minimum in the NFL. He will also take a significant hit sponsorship wise because he won't be a star in America and his sponsorship value here in Australia will only fall.

Big-T said:

But aren't the majority of Aussies RL fans?

Click to expand...

Oh my! You didn't.

Wilfork#75 said:

I think its the challenge. The NFL is seen as the pinnacle of sport so these top athletes want to prove themselves. I have to give Hayne credit for taking on this challenge but at the same time I think a lot of it also has to do with ego.

Hayne turned down over $1m AUD per year from the NRL and could easily get $1.5m+ AUD in French Rugby. He certainly isn't doing it for the money because he will most likely be making significantly less on the league minimum in the NFL. He will also take a significant hit sponsorship wise because he won't be a star in America and his sponsorship value here in Australia will only fall.

Click to expand...

Hayne is setting himself up for a spectacular fail. The level of athleticism and cutthroat nature of sports in the US far surpasses anything we have here. That said, I applaud him for trying. The worst that is going to happen is he fails and returns to Australia to a lucrative league career. He and his management team have worked that out.

Hmm ... he may need an off-season to "work out, lift and bulk up".

Mike the Brit said:

Hmm ... he may need an off-season to "work out, lift and bulk up".

Click to expand...

Speaking of Rugby League, it was the grand final (Super Bowl equivalent!) in the UK league last weekend and this happened less than 2 minutes into the game. Crazy!

Ha! I don't follow Rugby League and I couldn't see from the clip what went before the violence. But that was definitely not the kind of punch you'd want to be on the wrong end of. (Oh, and isn't it great that the refs are sponsored by opthalmologists?)

Mike the Brit said:

Ha! I don't follow Rugby League and I couldn't see from the clip what went before the violence. But that was definitely not the kind of punch you'd want to be on the wrong end of. (Oh, and isn't it great that the refs are sponsored by opthalmologists?)

Click to expand...

The punched guy doesn't remember it.

Not sure how folks over there view the punishment (a 13-game suspension), but it definitely seems nearer the mark to me than a slap-on-the-wrist fine.

ausbacker said:

Every Australian knows Rugby League fans have the collective IQ's of Jetsteelebroncos fans.

Click to expand...

Big-T said:

But aren't the majority of Aussies RL fans?

Click to expand...

Joking aside, and I ask from ignorance not to tweek anyone. So the Rugby League and Rugby Union are like the old AFL and NFL. Supposedly equal, but a tad different from each other. How close to right am I?

Mike the Brit said:

Hmm ... he may need an off-season to "work out, lift and bulk up".

Click to expand...

Yes, he needs to learn "Nutrition" on the NFL level.

lurker1965 said:

Joking aside, and I ask from ignorance not to tweek anyone. So the Rugby League and Rugby Union are like the old AFL and NFL. Supposedly equal, but a tad different from each other. How close to right am I?

Yes, he needs to learn "Nutrition" on the NFL level.

Click to expand...

In a nutshell, these are the main differences:

• Slightly different scoring,
• 13 players on the field in League/15 players on the field in Union,
• League goes through a run of 5 consecutive possessions before they are forced to kick the ball away for territory or attempt to score,
• Union allows the team with the ball to control the ball until they score, lose possession or kick the ball away, &
• Host of other differences such as the use of the scrum and line-out.

Yeah; League is a different sport sharing the name "rugby", league has a bit more in common with Football (system similar to downs as Ausbacker explained).

League has a play the ball which is kind of like a snap (player who was tackled rolls the ball back with his foot to one of his team mates which is called playing the ball) where as Union has a ruck/maul which just looks like everyone piling on top of each other.

The players tend to have totally different body types and require different skill sets too.

As for the Ben Flower ban - 13 games is more than I was expecting because the RFL like to bottle things but with the Police looking at the incident they had to do something. For the Americans - The RFL (run the British professional leagues) + the refs they employ make the NFL and the refs they have look brilliant. That's how bad they are.