Parramatta superstar Jarryd Hayne denies the Eels’ dire start to the NRL season is hastening his return from injury, but admits he won’t be 100 per cent fit when he lines up against Manly on Saturday night.
Hayne’s stop-start 2012 will get underway again on the weekend, when the winless Eels attempt to get their year going too.
When Hayne re-injured his knee just 15 minutes in his comeback in round two against the Warriors, he said he would allow his leg to completely heal before returning to action.
But with the Eels 0-4 after an embarrassing home loss to Penrith, Hayne said his knee would be good enough for him to play against the Sea Eagles, the representative star claiming his recovery was well ahead of where it was last time around.
“If I had the same mentality I had in round two I would have played on the weekend (against Penrith) – a 50-50 chance not knowing if I’d go down again,” Hayne said.
“I just said `one more week, it’s not going to hurt anyone just to get it right and make sure it’s not going to stuff up again’.
“Obviously it won’t be 100 per cent for a while but it’s runnable, playable.
“I’ve done two very tough sessions and did my longest session on Saturday (lasting) 75 minutes.
“It pulled up sore but not as bad as I thought it’d be.”
Hayne dismissed suggestions he was under pressure to lead the team out of the hole they find themselves in, saying the expectation on him to perform was always there.
“If you look at the past two or three seasons I’ve had all the pressure I can think of,” Hayne said.
“I’ve just got to go out there and play footy and do my best for the team.”
The player set to benefit most from Hayne’s return is halfback Chris Sandow, who has been heavily marked by opposition defences without Hayne to ease the playmaking load.
Hayne said he spoke to Sandow after the loss to the Panthers in a bid to ensure his confidence hadn’t been dented by the slow start to the year.
“I’m sure he’s not used to this type of pressure and what comes with it,” Hayne said of Sandow.
“We just had a little talk after the game, it wasn’t anything dramatic.
“He understands, he’s got a good mentality and he’s been around the game for a long time and he knows it’s going to come – we’ve just got to stick together.”
Sandow said he was looking forward to finally getting his partnership with Hayne underway, with their brief time together in the trial against Penrith and opening minutes against Warriors giving Eels fans some hope the season can still be salvaged.
“Everyone wants to play with Jarryd, when he does his thing everyone wants to be on board,” Sandow said.
“I think that’s what we’ve been missing at the moment – hopefully he’s 100 per cent for Saturday night.”
