Jarryd Hayne will be playing for National Rugby League side Gold Coast Titans "as soon as this Sunday after the NRL announced his deal had been approved," according to Adrian Proszenko of THE AGE. In a move that will result in the Titans' premiership odds "being slashed," Hayne will be in Gold Coast colors for this weekend's clash with the Warriors. The NRL, which owns the Titans, looked favorably at "rubber-stamping the move because the former Eel isn't currently a registered rugby league player anywhere in the world." NRL CEO Todd Greenberg said, "Jarryd left rugby league with our support to pursue a dream -- and I have no doubt the fans will be eager to see him return. In the end it was Jarryd's decision but we certainly wanted to see him in the NRL rather than another code" (THE AGE, 8/3). The BBC reported Hayne said that he is "devastated" after "going back on a promise to rejoin boyhood club Parramatta Eels." Hayne said that he would "only return to the NRL to play for the Eels" when he quit in '14 to play American football. He said, "I'm saddened it had to end like this with the Eels." The former Australia int'l claimed the Eels "did not make a formal offer" (BBC, 8/3). Proszenko reported in a separate piece the Eels "claim they did communicate an offer" to Hayne's management "in the past 48 hours," although it could not match "the riches on offer on the holiday strip." It is understood Hayne's longtime agent, Wayne Beavis, told the Eels to "sharpen their pencil" after they relayed their proposal, telling officials it was "half a million dollars short of the mark required." Before the Eels could change their offer, Hayne finalized a A$1.2M ($910,000)-a-season deal that made Hayne "the biggest signing in the Titans' 10-year history." It was all done over three meetings in the space of eight hours on Tuesday. The decision not to return to the Eels "dominated the press conference trumpeting the Titans deal." Hayne "blamed the Parramatta administration" for not making it happen. He said, "How can you go back when you haven't got an offer on the table?" (THE AGE, 8/3).
