Over the course of his career Jarryd Hayne has shown that when he is playing at his best, he is possibly the best player in the world.
While injuries and inconsistency has plagued his career at times, you get the feeling that things have changed. He has been playing great football for Parramatta this year and at representative level he continues to perform well.
In State Of Origin one though, Hayne was different. He wasn’t just playing great football, he was dominant. Even when Hayne won the Dally M Medal in 2009 he didn’t play with the type of confidence and command of the game he did in State Of Origin one. He put in a man of the match performance and he was simply unstoppable.
Hayne has played some of his best football in the State Of Origin arena. Whether he is playing on the wing or at fullback, he has always managed to step up and take his game to another level.
The Jarryd Hayne we saw in State Of Origin one was up there with Wally Lewis, Andrew Johns and Darren Lockyer. He took the game over and in the end was the difference between the two teams.
So, can Hayne do it again in State Of Origin two? In front of his own fans in Sydney with the series there to be won, can Hayne do what only the true greats of the game can manage and back up his dominant performance against the worlds best players?
You get the feeling Queensland is planning to ambush New South Wales in game two. I don’t buy any of their talk about carrying injured players, I think they are all right to go.
If New South Wales is to win game two they need Hayne to be at his best once again. For everything Jarryd Hayne has achieved over his career, this is his chance to step up to a new level in the minds of Rugby League supporters.
If Jarryd Hayne can lead New South Wales to victory on Wednesday night his performance will be remembered for a very long time.
Over to you Jarryd….
