Australians cheered former rugby star Jarryd Hayne in a “great day for Aussie sport”, after he was selected for the San Francisco 49ers’ final 53-man roster as he chased the dream of an NFL career.
Excitement has been building as the 27-year-old — who a year ago played his last match for Sydney-based Parramatta Eels in the National Rugby League (NRL) -- impressed in preseason performances with the 49ers.
“This is a Housing Commission (public housing) kid from a single mum from Minto in Sydney, one of the poorest suburbs,” said Channel Seven sports reporter Josh Massoud on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“When he started in the NRL (National Rugby League), it took him three years to buy his first new pair of shoes.
“Now he will never have to buy another pair of shoes. It’s a wonderful story.”
Praise for Hayne also came from Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who told reporters his success showed “that even in unfamiliar fields, Australians can do very well indeed when we put our minds to it”.
Hayne has long held a dream to play in the NFL and played 176 games for the Eels, scoring 103 tries, before announcing an unprecedented code swap late last year.
“Champ, we couldn’t be prouder! Keep dreaming big Haynesy #blueandgold #JH38,” the Eels tweeted.
Former team-mate and Eels captain Tim Mannah added: “Great day for Aussie sport. Great inspiration for people that want to chase dreams. Great start to a new journey. Great work @jarrydhayne_1.”
#Hayneplane — which is named after the Australian’s post-try rugby celebrations where he stretches his arms out like aircraft wings — started trending on Twitter as fans shared their pride in the player.
“Hard to say when I’ve been prouder as an Aussie sports fan. Well done, well done,” wrote one fan.
As well as being a star performer for Parramatta, Hayne also played 20 State of Origin matches for New South Wales and won 12 caps with the Kangaroos, the national rugby league team.
But securing a spot in the 49ers was seen as a tough challenge for Hayne, who only played his first American football game during a recent preseason match for San Francisco.
“He was a freakish talent but appeared too inexperienced to make the grade. The closest he’d come to gridiron was playing computer games and throwing a ball in the backyard,” sports writer Will Swanton said in The Australian.
“But he set the NFL preseason alight, became the biggest sports story in American sport and earned himself a multimillion-dollar contract.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
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RESULT
Everton 2 Huddersfield Town 0
Everton: Sigurdsson (47'), Calvert-Lewin (73')
Man of the Match: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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