Parramatta legend Luke Burt says Eels captain Jarryd Hayne has emerged as capable of leading the NRL club to a new era of success.
Burt, a member of the Eels coaching staff after retiring last year, said he had reservations when Hayne was first named as skipper by new Parramatta coach Ricky Stuart.
But the Eels’ most prolific try-scorer said Hayne has grown into the leadership role impressively as the season has progressed and that the NSW representative is the player to help lead Parramatta away from the NRL cellar.
“At first I thought it was a big call naming ‘Haynesy’ captain but it has paid dividends,” Burt told AAP.
“It has given him that extra responsibility and he has become a better player for the Parramatta club and I think he has improved his game.
“He has been around the game for a while but people forget he is still relatively young and I think he has handled the captaincy brilliantly over the last four to five weeks.
“It is a learning process so you can’t expect him to step into it and brain it straight away. It is a work in progress and he is doing a great job for the players and that is all you can ask.”
Parramatta have not made the finals since Hayne played a key role in their charge to the 2009 grand final.
The Eels have won three of their 10 games this year and sit ahead of only Wests Tigers and the Warriors on the NRL ladder.
But Burt said the signs are there of a team on the up and Hayne has the potential to lead them there.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him but I’m sure he can,” said Burt, who played 264 NRL games for the Eels and scored 1793 points.
“He is that vital to the team and they all look up to him. He has shown he can be a leader of this team. He is the most experienced player in the team if you include what he has done in State of Origin.
“Jarryd is leading from the front as he should be and I can only see him getting better in the future.
“Ricky (Stuart) said at the start of the year it is not going to turn around right away. But I think in two or three years Parramatta will be right up there and Jarryd will be leading the way.”