Wally warns coach has upper hand
WALLY Lewis has drawn on his own tumultuous falling out at the Broncos to warn Jarryd Hayne that his ongoing feud with Titans coach Neil Henry is likely to only end one way.
As Gold Coast officials today hold a crisis meeting between the superstar fullback and coach, Immortal Lewis recalled his own experience of getting on the wrong side of club bosses.
Lewis was famously jetti- soned from the Broncos in 1990 after what he called a “disagreement with Wayne Bennett” in a headline-grabbing drama being mirrored by the current saga.
With the Titans also bogged down in a four-game losing streak, the uncomfortable situation between the club’s marquee signing and the former Canberra and Cowboys mentor is adding to a sorry end to Gold Coast’s NRL season.
Hayne added fuel to the fire by claiming he has been stonewalled for the past week, leading to today’s dramatic clearing-the-air talks.
“It’s very sad,” said Lewis, who joined Gold Coast Seagulls following his exit from Brisbane.
“I was one that found out all too well if you don’t fit in with the coach you’re going to be heading for a different place.
“While I didn’t like it you have to accept that the coach is in that position.
“He gets to be able to make some very important decisions, one is whether he gets the boot or not.”
Lewis is a known admirer of the talent that is Hayne, but yesterday threw his support behind Henry in light of the NSW Origin star's comments.
“I’ve got a wrap on Neil Henry and I think he is a fine coach,” Lewis said on ABC Grandstand.
“He’s a people’s person and tries to make better people out of those players (at the Titans) and sadly it’s not working for the Coast.”