When Jarryd Hayne signed with the Gold Coast Titans in August 2016, he was asked at a media conference if he had contemplated returning to Parramatta, the club at which he became a rugby league superstar.
“That’s all indo-endo,” Hayne said, presumably, of the innuendo.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hayne stood in front of the John Madison Tower in Sydney’s CBD, again in front of reporters and talking about The Truth.
He had just been convicted for a second time of two counts of sexually assaulting a 26-year-old woman at her home in Newcastle in September 2018, the night of the NRL grand final between the Roosters and Storm.
“I never lied to police, I never deleted evidence, I never hid witnesses, do the maths,” Hayne said.
Asked if he thought he’d been given a fair trial, he repeated: “Did I lie? Did I lie? That’s factual evidence.”
Jarryd Hayne outside the John Maddison Tower on Tuesday.Credit: Nikki Short
Hayne thinks he did nothing wrong, and evidence tendered in all three trials – including messages to the victim and phone calls to other rugby league players that were tapped by police – indicates as much.
Let’s talk about “factual evidence”. The most disturbing “factual evidence” provided to the court was that a woman was left with injuries and in a pool of her own blood following their rendezvous.
The court heard Hayne had arrived in a cab, told the driver to wait outside, plonked a Vodka Cruiser on the letterbox, met with the woman inside her bedroom, watched some of the grand final with her mother, then had the cab drive him to Sydney.
A question for Hayne: is that the proper way to treat a woman?
High-profile court cases involving high-profile sportspeople prompt people to pick a side when, in reality, that’s foolish in a case as complex as this. The swamp of contemptible and defamatory posts on social media about this matter exposes how nefarious those platforms are.
In this trial, a jury of six men and six women took 18 hours of deliberations and several directions from Judge Graham Turnbull SC to arrive at their guilty verdict.
Tellingly, they asked Turnbull at one point whether “ignorance is a sufficient defence”. His response: “No.”
Less than an hour later, Hayne was convicted on both charges.
On Thursday, Hayne had his bail continued, allowing him to be free over Easter with his family – although Turnbull told the court there was “no question” Hayne was facing a custodial sentence.
Not all players are Jarryd Hayne. Not all footballers need to be told how to treat women.
The NRL is lucky to have an emerging generation of articulate, thoughtful, and respectful young players. Harry Grant, Nicho Hynes, Cameron Murray, Nathan Cleary, Sam Walker, Isaah Yeo, Tom and Jake Trbojevic and many, many others spring to mind.
Rugby league culture has changed significantly in the last few years – because it had to.
But whenever there’s a fusion of young men from various backgrounds on life-changing contracts attracting constant adulation from fans and media, there will be a dangerous level of entitlement that manifests itself in ugly ways.
If there was ever a cautionary tale about respect and consent, this is it.
If the NRL, RLPA, agents and – most importantly – clubs and coaches, needed reminding that they can’t provide enough education and advice to their players about how to treat women, this is it.
Jarryd Hayne was rugby league’s biggest name. He referred to himself as “The Medallist” after winning the first of his two Dally M awards, which now might be stripped.
He left a woman with injuries and on a blood-soaked bed and thought little of it. “Go to doctor,” he messaged when the victim told him of the lacerations to her vagina, the court heard.
You tell me what’s wrong with that picture. Do the maths.
Greg Norman at a LIV Golf event.Credit: Getty Images
Shark’s siren sounding once again
Greg Norman: what a drama queen.
“But it’s not about me,” the LIV Golf boss said in the lead-up to the US Masters. “It’s about the players, and I’m telling you they’re not going there as individuals, but as a team, backing each other, supporting and rooting for each other.”
Adam Scott and Cameron Smith enjoy a laugh during a practice round at Augusta.Credit: Getty
If you can’t win the Masters, hijack it.
The three-time Masters runner-up couldn’t stop blathering about his Saudi-backed rebel league in the lead-up to the first round at Augusta National.
He conjured images of LIV-aligned players getting around the 18th green to cheer home one of their own on the final day like it was the Ryder Cup; he argued their presence added extra spice to the tournament, claiming the broadcasters would prefer a showdown between a LIV and PGA player coming down the stretch; and he thought it was “petty” that he hadn’t been invited.
“I’m a major winner!” Sharkie declared. But remember: it’s not about him.
Norman might think he’s fighting a civil war, but the indication from his own golfers is they want peace.
Asked about the idea of storming the 18th green, Australian Cameron Smith said: “There definitely hasn’t been a conversation with me. If there was one, I definitely got left out of that one.”
Smith and other LIV players mixed with PGA Tour counterparts during the practice rounds like long-lost friends who hadn’t seen each other since university.
Norman has gobbled up the Saudi dollars to revolutionise golf – to make it “louder” – and that’s his right. It would be hard to knock back wads of money if they were waved under your nose, especially for Norman who only has a net worth of $400 million. I mean, how does one live on that?
LIV Golf’s Dustin Johnson and fellow American Gary Woodland at Augusta.Credit: Getty
But come on, Sharkie: stop picking a fight on behalf of your players that doesn’t exist. It’s not about you, remember. If anything, it seems more like a war of words between you and Rory McIlroy and it’s becoming tedious and boring.
And the Masters doesn’t need a hype man. Because it’s the Masters.
From Tina to 42nd Street: Remembering Brian Walsh
Legendary television and PR executive Brian Walsh was farewelled earlier this week, attracting high-profile types from all walks of life, including sport, to his funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral in the city on Monday afternoon.
It was revealed at his wake at Fox Studios just how important he was in shaping Tina Turner’s Winfield Cup campaigns as well as putting together pioneering commercial deals for Wayne Pearce and Andrew Ettingshausen.
Brian Walsh played a major role in the Tina Turner in the 1990 Simply the Best commercial.Credit: NRL Imagery, YouTube
One of the funniest speeches at the event came from producer Peter Rix, who paired with Walsh in putting together, for a time, the NRL’s grand final entertainment — including the infamous moment in the 1980s when the cast of 42nd Street: The Musical was marooned on stage without anything to mime to because someone had forgotten the tape.
“We’ve done it again, mate!” Rix would tell Walsh each year. “We’ve made the Sydney Morning Herald’s list of the worst grand final entertainment!”
RIP Keith Dudley – a great boxing character
Boxing lost one of its true characters on Thursday morning when Keith Dudley passed away at the age of 92.
Born in Brunswick in Melbourne, Dudley was a champion amateur boxer before moving to Sydney where he quickly became great mates with the likes of Manly international Rex Mossop and sports columnist Mike Gibson. He was also close to Hall of Fame trainer Johnny Lewis.
“Boxing has lost a good one,” Lewis said. “He was one of the best, loved by all.”
Dudley was a highly regarded boxing judge and official for many years before training countless people out of the North Sydney PCYC when he was well into his 80s.
It’s here, in 2006, that I first met him. The training was hard and the banter even harder.
One day, as we worked the heavy bag, he started yapping as he always did, versing me on the ways of the world and life and boxing and rugby league.
Thwack-thwack … thwack-thwack …
“Any danger of giving me some words of inspiration instead of this gibber?” I asked.
Thwack-thwack … thwack-thwack …
“Hit harder you fat [expletive],” he said, poking out his head from behind the bag. “How’s that?”
Rest in Peace, KD.
THE QUOTE
“@PhilGould15 has blocked you.” — Maybe I’m over reading it, but I have a vague feeling Gus wasn’t happy about last week’s column revealing he’d fallen out with Uncle Nick.
Thumbs up
Justin Pascoe. Like a never-ending packet of Tim Tams, he’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Fans scale the fence and enter the track at Albert Park.Credit: AP
Thumbs down
You must be a special breed of gibberer to prise open the safety fence at a Formula 1 event and attempt to walk on the track. Alas, some people were just that in the dying moments of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
It’s a big weekend for …
Competitors at the Rip Curl Pro at Bell’s Beach as they await the perfect swell, maybe even the 50-year storm as per Point Break, this Easter Long Weekend. It’s Owen Wright’s pro surfing swan song and, at the time of writing, he was still singing.
It’s an even bigger weekend for …
Champion horsie Anamoe, who will attempt to win the $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday in what will be his final run on Australian soil. He has a mighty challenger in Dubai Honour. This is what we call a “ding-dong battle”.
