Hayne backer closes wallet

JARRYD Hayne may be on the lookout for third-party sponsors to bolster his cutprice deal with the Eels but he will get no joy from the man that ensured he would become a Titan.

The opening year of Hayne’s $1.2 million deal with the Gold Coast included a $400,000 component paid by Titans sponsors TripADeal under the marquee player allowance.

TripADeal co-owner Norm Black has become a close friend and confidant of Hayne’s during his time on the Gold Coast. But he will not be a financial backer of his Parramatta deal – or any deal that would help Hayne play away from the Gold Coast.

“Not while he’s not playing at the Titans,” Black said about becoming a third-party backer for the star fullback.

“As much as there was a commercial relationship with Jarryd – and there’s also a personal relationship with Jarryd – the one thing we have in our business and how we operate, is loyalty.

“Everyone talks about loyalty being lost in rugby league but I’m from that old school that says, you have your team and you stay with your team.

“We are wholeheartedly Gold Coast and that’s where we want to have our loyalties and put our investments.

“Whilst we might do some commercial off-field stuff with Jarryd down the path one day ... there’s no way in the world that we would be supporting any financial package to have him not at the Gold Coast.”

While Black is disappointed not to see Hayne running around in Titans colours again in 2018, he fully understood the 29-year-old’s decision to leave.

“OK, it hasn’t worked out how we wanted it to work out,” Black said.

“But there’s no doubting his integrity with regard to his intent to put his family first.

“No one tears up that sort of money (for no reason).

THERE’S NO WAY IN THE WORLD THAT WE WOULD BE SUPPORTING ANY FINANCIAL PACKAGE TO HAVE HIM NOT AT THE GOLD COAST TRIPADEAL CO-OWNER NORM BLACK

“It would be great if he was on the Gold Coast – he certainly brought a lot of attention to that jersey while our brand was on there – but your personal life and your family always have to come before your professional life, I think anyway. There’s a big part of me that really admires that.”

While TripADeal paid for a large portion of Hayne’s 2017 contract and remain club sponsors, the Titans were set to bear the full amount of his salary for 2018 and have freed up about $1 million in cap space by cutting ties with him.