Dyldam Parramatta Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne the Blue and Gold is continuing to learn every week as the team presses for a spot in the 2014 finals series.
Currently sitting ninth on the Premiership ladder, Hayne says the inexperienced Eels side is still working on adjusting to the attention they’re receiving so far this season.
“This is massive for us,” Hayne said.
“We’re a very young team and the boys haven’t really had the spotlight on them the way it’s just starting now. I’m sure the more games we win the bigger it’s going to get.”
“We just taking it week by week; we’re not in the 8 yet so we’ve got a long way to go. We’re just preparing like we do. We haven’t really been fluent the last couple of weeks, but we’ve been winning games because we hung in there and stuck around until the end.”
“We want to just play well fro the 80 minutes.”
And despite media comparisons of his 2014 form with the 2009 form that saw the Eels reach the Grand Final, Hayne says his own performance isn’t the deciding factor behind Parramatta’s success.
“I’ve always maintained that it’s all about the team; I can’t do what I do without the team, without the boys wanting to make tackles, run hard, and put me in positions that I can do the things that I can do.”
“Even back in ’09 I always knew why we were winning: the boys were playing out of their skins with the way they were defending and attacking.”
“As a team we always want to go to new levels every week, we want to get better and there’s so many things that we can improve on. It’s about setting the bar high, reaching that, and doing what we can do to make the finals and give it a shake when we get there.”
This Friday, the 9th-placed Eels take on the 8th-placed Bulldogs in the annual Bandaged Bear Cup, kicking off at 7.45pm at ANZ Stadium. Click through to buy your tickets!
