Life goes on without Hayne say Eels

Parramatta are adamant their NRL revival under coach Brad Arthur has not been based on one player and will continue despite Jarryd Hayne’s exit.

The superstar fullback’s shock announcement on Wednesday he would be leaving the Eels to chase his dream as a NFL player was met with widespread disappointment at Parramatta.

Eels boss Scott Seward said the club were not prepared to stand in the way of Hayne’s dreams but admitted the loss of the Dally M player of the year would leave a big hole at the club.

“It obviously is going to be a blow today,” Seward said.

“But this club is not about one individual … the plan now doesn’t change; we want to be a sustainable club.

“We would like Jarryd to be a part of it of course, but we are still out there trying for the ultimate success – that won’t change.”

After back-to-back wooden spoons, Hayne spearheaded the Eels’ revival this year in Brad Arthur’s first season with the club. They fell short of a finals berth on percentages after losing their last two games to Newcastle and Canberra who had long been out of finals contention.

Hayne was rewarded for his efforts in taking out the Dally M player of the year last week with Johnathan Thurston.

There is no obvious replacement within the Eels ranks for Hayne, amid reports Canberra utility back Reece Robinson agreed to terms with Parramatta over the weekend after a lacklustre season with the Raiders.

Troubled Wallabies utility Kurtley Beale looms as a possible replacement for Hayne in the Eels’ No.1 jersey, so too Manly star Brett Stewart who is said to be unhappy at Brookvale.

Stewart has previously worked with Arthur during his time as Geoff Toovey’s understudy at the Sea Eagles in 2013.

Unconfirmed reports have Stewart’s good friend and Sea Eagles teammate Anthony Watmough linking with the Eels next season, despite being under contract to Brookvale for one more season.

St George Illawarra’s Brett Morris could be another possibility, with reports coming out of the joint venture suggesting the Dragons could release the representative star to easy salary cap pressure.

Regardless, Eels chairman Steve Sharp says life will go on at Parramatta without Hayne.

“We have been rebuilding this club for the last two years, and that is not just around Jarryd,” he said.

“It is not a one man team.

“As great as Jarryd is as a footballer, life moves on and we move on with it.

“And we think that high-calibre players will want to come to our club.”

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