Just over a year since Jarryd Hayne walked out of Cooma Correctional Centre, the two-time Dally M medallist has been offered a return to rugby league.
Hayne played 214 NRL games between Parramatta and the Gold Coast, as well as eight games in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, before his off-field actions brought the star's career crashing down.
After spending close to ten months in jail on sexual assault charges, Hayne was released early last year from the correction centre after his conviction was thrown out, however, the former fullback will face a third trial on March 6th.
The 35-year-old has traded rugby league posts for a backboard at Auburn Basketball Centre, however, according to The Daily Telegraph, that hasn't stopped a Group 6 club from offering Hayne a deal for 2023.
Captain-coached by Tony 'T-Rex' Williams in Camden, the South West Goannas approached the controversial ex-NRL star about lacing the boots up again this season in Group 6, the same competition Blake Ferguson will play in this season.
Hayne rejected the approach.
Goannas' president Mark Baird believes the former Eel was close to accepting the deal.
“Jarryd was thinking about it,” Baird told The Daily Telegraph.
“He would have been a fantastic drawcard and put back into community rugby league.
“T Rex had a discussion with him about playing even just five games.
“It didn't work out. Maybe he's a bit out of shape. Maybe financially, it was going to be out of our league.”
There's no guarantee his contract would've been registered regardless of his answer, especially with an upcoming trial date.
