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‘He’s got the option’: Jarryd Hayne ponders another move

Jarryd Hayne might be on the move again.

Jarryd Hayne might be on the move again. Photo: Getty

The Gold Coast Titans are resigned to the fact Jarryd Hayne may leave the club – despite having played just nine matches for the NRL outfit.

Hayne has been linked with a switch to his former club Parramatta, and his representatives have reportedly been in touch with the Eels.

An option in Hayne’s Titans contract allows him to extend his $1.2 million-a-year deal and include the 2018 season if exercised before the end of May.

But Hayne, who has battled fitness and form since joining the Titans to much fanfare last year, is not obligated to take up the option, and that leaves club coach Neil Henry realistic about his future.

“He [Hayne] can do it [leave] and, as [Titans chief executive] Graham Annesley said, he’s got the option his way – it’s up to him to exercise that,” Henry said on Tuesday.

“If his manager is doing his job canvassing any options out there for Jarryd to play football, then he has to weigh up our offer against whatever else he can do.

“I hope he stays here. He showed glimpses of what he could do last weekend and I think he’s been out in public saying he’s got a desire to play rep football. He knows to do that he needs to be playing good football.”

When Hayne joined the Titans after stints with the San Francisco 49ers [NFL] and Fiji [Rugby Sevens], he admitted it was a difficult decision to not join Parramatta, his boyhood club.

Hayne played 176 NRL matches for the Eels from 2006 to 2014, scoring 103 tries, before his high-profile switch to the 49ers.

Roosters win an Anzac Day classic

A club linked with Hayne before he joined the Titans, the Sydney Roosters, edged the in-form St George Illawarra 13-12 in a golden-point thriller at Allianz Stadium on Tuesday.

The Dragons, who entered the match on top of the ladder, took an early lead in front of 40,864 fans when Joel Thompson crossed for a 19th-minute try.

Skipper Gareth Widdop was leading the way for the Dragons but, less than two minutes before the break, the Englishman was forced from the field with a left knee problem.

Widdop’s absence was felt in the second half, as the Roosters took control – and the lead – thanks to tries from Blake Ferguson and No.7 Mitchell Pearce.

sydneyroosters

The Roosters celebrate a famous victory. Photo: Getty

Michael Gordon’s penalty gave the Roosters a 12-6 lead but a sensational 78th-minute try to Nene MacDonald – and a resultant sideline conversion from Josh Dugan – forced golden point.

The Dragons could not make the most of their second chance, though, as Pearce, who has previously struggled to kick field goals in golden point, nailed an attempt from 30 metres at the first time of asking to seal a memorable win.

“I missed one a couple of weeks ago – I was disappointed,” Pearce told Fox Sports.

“It was nice to knock it over on such a big stage. What a day.”

Storm finish strongly

Melbourne Storm also won on Tuesday, with late tries from Josh Addo-Carr and Felise Kaufusi helping them a 20-14 come-from-behind win against the New Zealand Warriors at AAMI Park.

The Warriors, thumped 42-0 in the same fixture last year, led 14-12 with 15 minutes to play thanks to a pair of David Fusitu’a tries and a Shaun Johnson penalty.

But the Storm dug deep with fancy footwork from Addo-Carr on the sideline nudging them ahead before Kaufusi’s sealer.

Other results in Round 8 saw the underfire Wests Tigers record a gritty 18-12 win over the Canterbury Bulldogs on Sunday, while a day earlier, the Titans upset NRL premiers Cronulla 16-12 away from home.

North Queensland returned to the winners list with a 24-12 triumph against strugglers Newcastle, while the Eels edged the Penrith Panthers 18-12 and Brisbane and Manly won close matches against South Sydney and Canberra respectively.

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