Jarryd Hayne has won a place in the San Francisco 49ers 53 man roster for 2015-16.

This represents one of the greatest code switches in sporting history.

It required enormous courage, dedication and talent.

It also gives great publicity to rugby league, because the words rugby league and NRL are all over the NFL and San Francisco 49ers websites.

I fear however that NFL agents will soon descend on Australia and New Zealand, and might possibly snare other NRL stars like Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, Jason Taumololo, James Roberts, Anthony Milford, Semi Radradra or Marika Koroibete.

They might even look at the Under 20s, and grab superstars in the making, like Sydney Roosters full back Latrell Mitchell.

In Britain they may chase Zachary Hardaker, Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Thomas Briscoe, George Williams, and Dominic Manfredi, and in France Fouad Yaha.

Regardless, Hayne's achievement in such a short time, with only four preseason games under his belt, has been amazing. It shows the superior athleticism of the top rugby league stars.

Think Yaha will be safe

This year I agree. But what about next year?

wouldnt worry

As with Burgess to RU, nobody can cite a tangible benefit for RL. A feel-good factor because one of ours is a star elsewhere is worth precisely zero. Publicity means nothing if it isn't backed up by cash. The downside is Hayne leaving the NRL and not playing this sport. Even worse if a few others leave to try to copy him.

Quote ="BrisbaneRhino"As with Burgess to RU, nobody can cite a tangible benefit for RL. A feel-good factor because one of ours is a star elsewhere is worth precisely zero. Publicity means nothing if it isn't backed up by cash. The downside is Hayne leaving the NRL and not playing this sport. Even worse if a few others leave to try to copy him.'" Huge publicity for the sport. For example: https://twitter.com/nfl/status/640275355824054272 This video montage showing Hayne playing in the NRL, including the NRL in the tweet, from an account with 13 million followers. Hayne on his own doesn't mean the game will grow in the USA, but if for example Parramatta played a friendly in San Francisco, I think they'd be successful. We just need the vision to capitalise on it. I think it's different with rugby union because we're two sports generally competing in the same countries for the same players. Hayne going to the NFL is a story that is completely out of left field.

Quote ="BrisbaneRhino"As with Burgess to RU, nobody can cite a tangible benefit for RL. A feel-good factor because one of ours is a star elsewhere is worth precisely zero. Publicity means nothing if it isn't backed up by cash. The downside is Hayne leaving the NRL and not playing this sport. Even worse if a few others leave to try to copy him.'" Huge publicity for the sport. For example: https://twitter.com/nfl/status/640275355824054272 This video montage showing Hayne playing in the NRL, including the NRL in the tweet, from an account with 13 million followers. Hayne on his own doesn't mean the game will grow in the USA, but if for example Parramatta played a friendly in San Francisco, I think they'd be successful. We just need the vision to capitalise on it. I think it's different with rugby union because we're two sports generally competing in the same countries for the same players. Hayne going to the NFL is a story that is completely out of left field.

Millions of people in the USA have now seen part of Hayne's rugby league highlights reel thanks to the NFL promotional video which intertwined some of his NRL highlights with some of his NFL preseason highlights. It will surely make some Americans interested in checking out rugby league -- the game which their newest NFL star has emerged from.

In 5 years time we'll still have the same dilemma of converting publicity into sponsorship, money, crowds, player retention...

A reasonably good thread ruined by the word Zachary

I don't see any reason to be cheering. We've lost the guy. And if League's "benefit" means the NFL is about to start pinching more of our players then pardon me for not uncorking the champagne.

Again, some highlights on a free site is worth exactly zero. To quote Tom Cruise - show me the money. A few bored Yanks looking at YouTube clips does nothing. Parra could play a friendly in the US and make a few quid? Wow. That's worth losing one of the best backs of his generation. Not.

Talking up these benefits and how the publicity around Hayne can be "capitalised" on reminds me a lot of the dotcom boom. Went from valuing websites based on profit, to revenue and finally to clicks. Unsurprisingly the wheels fell off because the much hyped clicks never turned into cash. As will Hayne's move to the NFL.

I'd rather lose players to the NFL than that shire of e Union

Always wondered what would happen if USA took RL seriously, only about 1.5% of college graduates make it to the NFL and last over 4 years so there is a large pool or very fit athletic guys there who if they had another option might make the move over to RL, majority are probably built for it, needs some multi billionaires to get behind it and push the idea into colleges and onto the main stage over there, similar to how the MLS has grown over the years.

League is taking baby steps in the US.
If interest in Hayne can drive a small comp in the south west to form, that would be a good step forward.
The south west has been talked about as the next logical area for League to develop for the 15 years that League has been played in the US, because of high population density and high ex-pat population from League playing countries.

So you think that a "brain drain" into yet another sport will be good for the game.

If it were to help attract blue chip sponsors into RL then I would agree with you and there is some satisfaction in seeing one of League's top players succeed BUT, if the NRL comes calling, as a sport, we simply cannot compete with the $millions in that sport and apart form perhaps getting some yankee dollar, the numbers of top players will shrink still further.

What do you think would happebn if another 6/8 top players went form our sport ?

I couldn't agree more - it's meaningless, unless our only value as a sport is as a curiosity that occasionally throws up people who turn out to be good at 'better' sports.

I'm pleased for the lad, but it's much ado about nothing in terms of value to RL.

I don't think it's meaningless at all. The more people exposed to our sport the more fans we will find.

It seems we are stuck here between two extremes where this will either get us a fully pro league in the US or it will do nothing at all.

Used correctly this can be a catalyst. There is no reason to expect it can't. We should use this as our foot in the door. It will get people to listen. We should get use it. We should capitalise on it.

Send the WCC there. Use Haynes name. Use that recognition and if at the end of it we get an amateur side there. Fantastic. Cali if it were a country would be amongst the biggest economies in the world and there are millions of people there. A foothold there is a brilliant thing.

and, looking at it the other way round, surely the awareness of RL created by Hayne, creates an opportunity for our clubs to attract some of the majority of American footballers who don't make NFL level, to trial for RL. There must be some huge athletes who we could train up to play prop if nothing else. As we have seen reported in connection with Hayne, they don't earn huge amounts if not selected for the final roster of an NFL club.

Means nothing. Yanks aren't going to start following league because of Haynes 5 mins of fame.

What makes you so certain that Hayne's fame will only last 5 minutes?

I expect him to shine on Special Teams this season, and get heaps more publicity in the NFL.

What makes you so certain that Hayne's fame will only last 5 minutes?

I expect him to shine on Special Teams this season, and get heaps more publicity in the NFL.

There are 2 trains of thought here.

1. The likes of JEAN will give us the highs and lows of how the US Market is just there for the taking and a half dozen Aussies/Polynesians being signed up as Defensive ends or punt returners will have the Donald Trump's and Warren Buffett's triping over themselves to invest in a sport that currently has most of it's American teams playing in stadiums with no seating or terracing (do they call them bleachers in the US?) and that is played at the top club level in 2 states, 2 counties and 2 cities on the Global stage.
He'll be joined by posters claiming that if we could just pick up 1% of the college NFL failures, we'd be dead set for world domination and the USA RL side would be challenging for World Cup honours inside 20 years. If only we could get Americans to watch one game...they'd be hooked!

Then there's:

2. Those that realise that no publicity is bad and Hayne making the grade is brilliant for him as he really did take a punt on it (no pun intended) and it's nice that the NRL and RL gets a mention. That's the extent of it though and rather than "get rich quick" scenarios, the game needs to sort itself out where it is at the moment, with a few clubs on life support and players like Hayne being lost to rival sports. It needs to address the top 3 or 4 clubs in SL are the same, how we need to expand the playing/talent pool to get the next 4 up to the same standard, how to get fans back into stadiums, how to ensure that we don't forget to take the lower divisions when we move on and to put policies in place to increase the number of kids playing and staying in the sport.

The bottom line here is the only sport that has gained any real publicity here is NFL, with viewing figures for 49'ers games probably higher last year in Australia.

As a big fan of the 2 greatest sports in the world this could actually work well for both sides. What we need to realise is that RL is VERY easy for a NFL fan to grasp. I took an American friend to and England game once and basically described it as when a team receives the ball it's 1st and goal and they have 6 downs. That's all he really needed to know to enjoy it.

From a RL perspective we need to capitalise on the curiosity about RL caused by Hayne ASAP. The 3rd origin game at either Levi Stadium or Rose Bowl would be a start. Teams committing to establishing feeder clubs on the west coast and maybe holding the 9s tournament there would be even better. They could then tap into the local resource of college/high school players who haven't made the grade.

For the NFL they desperately want to expand into Australia having been so successful in London so this is the perfect time to take a game to Sydney, especially if they can get the 49ers involved. This would probably have to kick off at 7pm local time in Sudney on the Satursay but it's feasible.

What can't be understated is what a pheonomenal achievement it is by Hayne to make the roster, in my mind the greatest sporting switch in history. There are levels of complexity to NFL that take years to grasp never mind master whilst simultaneously having to adapt his style and physique to match what's required. It's amazing he's managed it so quickly and I doubt we'll ever see someone manage something like this again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you train of thought #1



Few things to think about here:

1. The 3rd Origin game in 2016 will be in July........hardly A.S.A.P.
2. 68,000 in the Levi or 92,000 in the rose bowl is a pipe dream......we couldn't get 92,000 in Australia for SoO or 68,000 for the best 4 countries in the world at Wembley for a tenner...but yeah, let's try America


3. Feeder clubs? Seriously? NRL Feeder clubs in the USA? The NRL takes players from the Pacific Islands but can't be bothered having feeder clubs there, so why the USA?
4. The Auckland 9's didn't get 80% capacity in year 2 and tickets are now discounted to the floor for 2016, but you'd have 9's move to the states? Also, the first 9's only happened when Auckland city council agreed to underwrite it....before then the NRL were having none of it. Good luck getting Santa Clara or Pasedena(sic) councils forking out millions in the hope a few Aussie tourists roll up


5. There are already pathways for failed College players.....but you'd have them take up League as a profession in a sport with no presence of note and no full time professional players.........didn't you read what I said?



Barking Mad....absolutely barking!

Nobody's saying publicity is bad as such. What I and others are saying - consistently - is show me the money. Vague notions of "capitalizing" on Hayne are just that.

The fact is that if and when Hayne becomes a big star bin the NFL, it will be as an NFL player. His RL background will quickly become a footnote. Just as Sam Burgess in the RU WC will be seen as an RU player if he does well, as it was previously for Jason Robinson.