Hayne ready to do 'something special' - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Hayne ready to do 'something special'

By Todd Balym 01/10/2009 10:38:42 PM Comments (0)

Jarryd Hayne has been dreaming of this grand final moment his entire life and he has a simple message for Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy about the Storm's plans to stop him: "Yeah, good luck."

The Dally M medal winner taunted Melbourne just three days out from the NRL grand final, the most in-form player in rugby league declaring he was ready to deliver "something special" at ANZ Stadium on Sunday.

Hayne admitted he'd endured sleepless nights this week, not over the judicial matter which almost cost him a suspension, but because he kept imagining how he would tear apart the Storm defence.

"I'm sure the forwards will lay the foundation for me to do something special," said Hayne on Thursday.

"It's the most I've ever thought about a game. I'm always thinking about it, it's always in the back of my head.

"I've had a couple of sleepless nights and a couple of nights thinking about the game.

"I'm more excited than nervous."

Hayne has played one Test for Australia and was the dominant NSW player in this year's State of Origin series, but rates Sunday's clash with the Storm his highest honour and a chance to put his name down in history alongside his closest mates.

"This no doubt is far ahead of anything I've done or achieved," he said.

"It's something you dream of and you don't realise how emotional the week is until you're part of it.

"Especially when you play with mates, I've known Krisnan Inu ever since I was a little boy so to play in such a big game with him and the rest of the boys I've known a couple of years makes it that bit more special and something you don't get when you play for Australia and NSW."

Bellamy said Melbourne had developed specific plans to nullify Hayne's brilliance, but he refused to reveal any tactics until they're put into action on Sunday night.

"We'll decide on what course of action to take when that happens as a team - we know how we want to handle that situation, hopefully we'll handle it well, hopefully it works for us," said Bellamy.

Eels coach Daniel Anderson also wished Bellamy luck in trying to prepare for Parramatta's unpredictable attack, something even the Parramatta mentor doesn't completely understand.

"I'm not well versed in some of the Parramatta football sometimes, I have to admit that," he said.

"We don't go out there and go `right we're going to do 40 offloads in a game'.

"We like to promote the ball that is there and it's what has got us to this point and something we will endeavour to do on Sunday.

"The game-plan is not to offload the ball versus Melbourne, the game plan is to play what is in front of you."

And it won't be all about Hayne.

"We are not an I-type team," he said.

"Haynesy has been the catalyst for a lot of good things (but) he would be the first to acknowledge the blokes around him and players in front of him are providing the platform for him.

"Every player is going to need to contribute. It's a very, very good team we're playing against and it's a big ask for us, but we have got the ability if we all contribute."

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