Footloose and fancy free, Hayne brushes off flak
JARRYD Hayne knows he irks people who think he’s arrogant and they might not like to hear it but he doesn’t care.
In a wideranging interview with News Corp, the NSW Origin star admits he used to be bothered by critics who were angered by his “laid- back and carefree” attitude.
One of rugby league’s most naturally gifted players of the modern era, Hayne puts his insatiable drive to succeed down to the simple fact there “wasn’t anything else” in his life outside of football.
“I’m a bit laid- back, a bit carefree. That’s the way I play football,” Hayne said.
“That’s the reason I have been at the top for a long time because I don’t let things get to me.
“It eats people sometimes, how laid- back I am.
“I’m pretty cruisy. For me, it’s just about trying to be a good person.
“At the end of the day, this is a results- based business.
“You feel it ( pressure), it’s about what you do with it.
“I’ve got a natural ability to go out there and perform and let it look after itself.
“I know how to prepare and get myself up for big games.”
Hayne enjoys proving people wrong when he meets them.
“People will always have opinions of you,” he said.
“I don’t worry about it. I used to get upset before when you would hear those things but now, you have to realise people have opinions and that’s just the way life is.
“Nine times out of 10 when people say hello or have a conversation with you, they say ‘ I thought you were like this and thought you are like that’.
“I just have a laugh, you know what I mean.
“That’s the way it is with the media and whatnot, they paint their own picture.”
Hayne is looking forward to Wednesday’s Origin clash and thinks Queensland will be harder to beat than in Game One.