“At first he thought I was joking. But look at what he’s achieved in rugby league. And he’s a Fijian guy, so we want him to be part of it. He’s enjoying it.”
Jarryd Hayne is back in the rugby league fold, with the former NRL fullback taking on a mentoring role with the Vodafone Fiji Bati’s camp ahead of the Pacific Championship.
Both News Corp and The Sydney Morning Herald had reported that Hayne will work closely with Michael Jennings, Sunia Turuva, Viliame Kikau and Maika Sivo among others.
Hayne has already landed at Fiji and was spotted at training in Suva’s Albert Park on Monday.
He will not return in a playing capacity, having ruled out the possibility, but is taking on a mentoring role having previously represented Fiji on the international stage.
It marks Hayne’s first involvement in the NRL since 2018.
Fiji coach Wise Kativerata, who previously played for the Bati alongside Hayne’s father Manoa Thompson, told The Herald he initially contacted Hayne after he was released from prison to check on his welfare.
The two-time Dally M Medal winner spent nearly two years in jail before being released in June after winning an appeal against a rape conviction
“I rang him just to talk to him and to see how he was going,” Kativerata told The Herald.
“I wanted to make sure he was okay. He was happy to hear from us. After a while, I told him about rugby league in Fiji and how it really needed a lift. Then I asked him to come along and help with the team because I knew that it would be good for him and good for us.
“At first he thought I was joking. But look at what he’s achieved in rugby league. And he’s a Fijian guy, so we want him to be part of it. He’s enjoying it.”
Kativerata went on to add that a lot of the Fiji players “look up” to Hayne for his talents on the field, having played 214 games in the NRL and represented the Bati in 10 Tests.
Fiji plays Papua New Guinea on Saturday night. Fox Sports
Feedback: leonec@fijisun.com.fj
