Secret talks "are under way" to bring former National Rugby League player Jarryd Hayne's San Francisco 49ers to Australia for a gridiron game at ANZ Stadium, according to Phil Rothfield of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. 49ers Chair John York "has revealed he is keen on the idea, being negotiated by NSW Premier Mike Baird." The aim is to play an official NFL preseason game next August "in a match" that would cost A$10M ($7.2M) to stage, with the funds coming from "major-event budgets and ticket sales." York: "It's something we'd definitely consider with the NFL. We're fully aware of the interest Jarryd Hayne has created in Sydney and Australia." ANZ Stadium CEO Daryl Kerry said that it would be the "biggest sporting event in Sydney since the 2000 Olympics." Baird: "If the NFL comes to the southern hemisphere, we've got one message for them: Sydney's the spot." Sydney has "recently missed out" on other major events, including Formula 1 and golf's Presidents Cup, both of which were won by the Victorian Government. It is why Baird has "put the San Francisco 49ers on the top of his sporting bucket list." Kerry said, "ANZ Stadium has been the stage for many of Jarryd Hayne's greatest achievements. ... So seeing the Hayne Plane back at the stadium with the San Francisco 49ers would be as big as it gets." At this stage "it is undecided which NFL side would come to Australia with the 49ers" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 10/24). In Sydney, Melanie Kembrey reported Kerry said '16 would be an "ideal time to host a game" as interest in the NFL was at an "all time high." In September, NFL Exec VP/Int'l Mark Waller dismissed suggestions Australia "might be in line" to host a preseason game with the 49ers, saying it was "not in the plans." He said then, "A preseason game, again, I'm not sure the value in a preseason game to the Australian fans. The games are not that competitive and a lot of the things that go on in a preseason game are about player selection." In another interview earlier this month, however, Waller said that Australia would be a "great" location for a Pro Bowl game (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 10/25).
