AUSTRALIA RUGBY LEAGUE star Jarryd Hayne has made the cut for the San Francisco 49ers final 53-man roster for the upcoming National Football League season.
The 27-year-old, who turned his back on rugby league last year to pursue the seemingly unlikely dream of an NFL career, was something of a mystery going into training camp.
But the Sydney native has impressed with a series of outstanding pre-season performances, finishing second in the NFL in rushing yards with 175 while boasting a healthy average of seven yards per carry in the pre-season.
“I am over the moon,” said Hayne, the former two time MVP of the National Rugby League. “I didn’t just wake up and want to be an NFL player one day. It was a long process with a lot of dark days and a lot of joyous days. Whenever I start talking about what I’ve been through, the emotions get stirred up.
“The people who are really close to me jumped on board. We just had fun. That’s what the whole journey has been about. I wanted to take a risk, and I wanted to put myself out there.
Faith without action is dead. This whole journey, I’ve never felt so alive.”
The running back’s run of 53 yards against the Houston Texans was the third longest in the NFL this pre-season.
As a return man on special teams, Hayne fielded nine punts for 163 yards (18.1 average) and returned one kickoff for 33 yards.
In the 49ers’ final pre-season game on Thursday against San Diego, Hayne led all San Francisco running backs with 58 yards on 10 carries. He also caught a pair of passes for 17 yards and returned three punts for 43 yards.
What won the 49ers over was Hayne’s superb play on special teams.
“Making an NFL roster is an outstanding accomplishment. But obviously his situation is unique,” said San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula. “I can’t say enough about his approach and the type of person he is.
“It should be a celebration in Australia. I do understand the magnitude and that it’s huge.”
