Dyldam Parramatta Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne says the Eels’ Round 22 win in Darwin marks a milestone he will cherish, as he ran in his 99th and 100th career tries to help bring home the 18-10 victory.
It makes Hayne just the third player to reach the century while playing for the Eels, following in the footsteps of Blue and Gold icons Brett Kenny and Luke Burt.
And while Hayne’s 99th try came from a Semi Radradra offload, he gave the credit for his 100th to a well-timed pass from second-rower David Gower.
“It’s pretty special,” Hayne said.
“It’s good to score tries for the team and definitely a milestone that I’ll look back on and cherish.”
“Gowie’s a smart player, there’s probably no one else, maybe Joseph Paulo that can drift across field and put a ball on like that; he’s done it before for me.”
“I just felt it was a perfect time and I guess it was just lucky it was Gowie. I don’t think anyone else could have put that ball on and had the confidence to throw that ball.”
The Round 22 win marked the Eels’ third straight victory away from Parramatta, but Hayne admits there is plenty of room for improvement based on Saturday night’s display.
“The humidity was really tough,” Hayne said.
“Our ball control wasn’t the best tonight and you’ve seen that with a lot of dropped ball, but I think we dug deep and got the win.”