Brad Arthur has hit back at criticism suggesting that the Parramatta Eels are making the wrong decision to bring back Jarryd Hayne in the 2018 season.
Parramatta legend Peter Sterling insists that the Eels should've primarily focused on signing a front-rower.
Hayne took a pay-cut of three-quarters of a million dollars. The two-time Dally M medal winner was paid $1.2m at the Gold Coast, now agreeing to a $500,000 deal with the Eels.
Anyone who departs one club and sings with another is usually receiving an increase in their paycheque.
“Jarryd had taken a substantial hit and he has done it for all the right reasons,” Arthur said.
Reports suggest that Hayne will most certainly play in the centre position, Sterling believes that it's not an ideal position for the talented fullback. Arthur still hasn't provided a confirmation as of yet.
“Somewhere in the backline,” Arthur said.
“The thing is he can play centre, he can play wing, he can play fullback.
“He has shown that he can play five-eighth.
“Between now and round one lots of things will chop and change.”
Adding respect to the criticism, Arthur said: “It is alright to say go and buy a front-rower but there needs to be a front-rower available.
“And what they also need to know is that we still have money for a front-rower.
“If we didn’t keep money last year and just went and threw it around on anybody we wouldn’t have got Mitchell Moses.
“And maybe we wouldn’t have finished fourth, I don’t know.
“But we have money there for the right person when they come around.
“We only have 28 players in our squad."
Comments are closed.