Remarkable as it seems now, Jarryd Hayne had a poor start to the year. He was tried unsuccessfully at five-eighth at Parramatta before coach Daniel Anderson switched him back to fullback. The impact was nothing short of extraordinary. A fortnight before the first State of Origin match, Hayne wasn’t an automatic selection, but he snuck into the side on the wing. He was brilliant for the Blues in a beaten team during the series, and his form entered the next stratosphere when he returned to club duty afterwards. The Eels appeared to have no chance of reaching the finals but, propelled by Hayne’s consistent match-winning brilliance, they snuck into the playoffs in eighth position, winning a succession of sudden-death matches to get there. Three more must-win games saw them reach the grand final. Even though they lost to the Storm, Hayne had confirmed himself as the No.1 rugby league player in the world. He drew comparisons with Andrew Johns for a series of man-of-the-match efforts and did more than enough to win the coveted Dally M award for player of the season. Will Swanton
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