PARRAMATTA Eels legend Nathan Hindmarsh hopes Jarryd Hayne achieves success while pursuing his NFL dream in America but the former Australian representative admits it has left Parramatta with a massive hole to fill.
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Hindmarsh was in Dubbo on Wednesday hosting a number of seminars on the dangers of gambling but he also took time to talk about his former club and said Hayne's announcement last week came as a surprise.
"It was a massive shock, I always knew he loved the code but for him to take a punt and go over there is a huge step for him and I do wish him all the best but on the flipside he's left Parramatta with a big hole," he said.
"I suppose it has freed up a lot of money in the salary cap but we've lost the number one player in the NRL so it's a huge loss."
Hayne has been one of the few shining lights for Parramatta in recent seasons, with the club missing out on the finals for the past five years, and the fullback was a joint winner of the Dally M medal in 2014, claiming the accolade alongside Johnathon Thurston.
The former Australian number one still had a year remaining on his contract with the Eels and was in line for a new deal which would have made him one of the richest players in NRL history but he opted out of that and jetted off for the United States earlier this week.
With plenty of money at their disposal a number of big names have been linked with the Eels and while Hindmarsh was unaware of any serious offers, apart from the signing of former Canberra Raider Reece Robinson, he was hopeful coach Brad Arthur and a number of players in the squad would be able to cover for the loss of Hayne.
"I think Brad Arthur and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job already in turning the club around so hopefully that will continue," he said.
"It's going to be tough with no 'Haynesy', he was an important part of the side, but they've got Reece Robinson who's played some fullback before and 'Hoppa' (Will Hopoate) can play fullback and there's whispers and street talk about Kurtley Beale and other players but you take that with a grain of salt."