June 04, 2008

SHATTERED New South Wales winger Jarryd Hayne fears his State of Origin series is over after he failed to have a lifting tackle at the NRL judiciary downgraded and was rubbed out for three games.

The Parramatta star will now miss next week's Origin II clash at Suncorp Stadium where NSW are aiming to reclaim the series title for the first time since 2005.

Hayne will not be available to play again until after the teams are selected for the third game, giving him no chance to prove his worth for re-selection.

“It's pretty much the series gone for me,'' said a visibly upset Hayne afterwards.

“I won't get a game before game three. I just wish the boys good luck.''

Melbourne winger Steve Turner has now been called into the NSW squad to replace Hayne.

NSW coach Craig Bellamy has opted for Turner to join his 18-man squad in Sydney but won't decide on his final line-up until centre Mark Gasnier faces a fitness test on his injured hamstring later in the week.

Canberra's Joel Monaghan is another possibility and is currently in the Blues camp as cover for injured centre Mark Gasnier, while Penrith's Luke Lewis who was 18th man in Origin I could also fill the vacant wing spot.

It is a bitter blow to the 20-year-old Hayne who claimed his upending tackle on Brisbane's Tonie Carroll last Friday after the whistle only became dangerous because his teammates pulled out but he hadn't because he did not hear the whistle.

However his argument fell on deaf ears and not even his claims at being a rugby league “clean skin'' with an incident free record over 15 years of playing the game could help convince the panel to lower his grade two charge to one and escape suspension.

Hayne insisted he entered the tackle to lift the legs of Carroll, believing his three teammates grappling with the body would ensure the tackle did not end up dangerous.

However as the three Eels heard the whistle and stopped wrestling with Carroll, an oblivious Hayne continued, resulting in a dangerous lifting motion which slammed the Bronco forward onto his head.

“I did not hear the whistle whatsoever,'' said Hayne.

“I did not realise until the replay the whistle had gone and the boys had let him go.

“My head was down facing the ground so I had no vision of the other players.''

But while prosecutor Peter Kite accepted Hayne did not hear the whistle, he argued the Eels star was wrong to assume his teammates would prevent a dangerous tackle and should take full blame for such an ugly incident.

“Player Hayne is not allowed to adopt a strategy reliant on other people preventing a dangerous tackle, he has to prevent it,'' said Kite.

“Player Carroll was completely unsuspecting and therefore unable to defend himself in anyway.''

It took almost 45 minutes for them to decide to result but ultimately dealt Hayne a three-game suspension.

He is not the only Origin star to be rubbed out of the second game as Queensland's Justin Hodges accepted a six-week ban for an uglier lifting tackle on Mark Riddell in the same spiteful clash last Friday.

But while Hayne is out the news looks better for NSW's injured star centre Mark Gasnier who moved a step closer to his comeback from a hamstring injury by joining his Blues teammates for 20 minutes in session at a soaked Sydney Football Stadium.

Centre partner and fellow St George Illawarra star Matt Cooper insists Gasnier will be fit and firing at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday.

“My gut feeling with Gaz is that I reckon he will be alright,'' said Cooper.

“He is a quick healer. I know every time he's gone out injured he's always come back a week early so I'm pretty confident he is going to be right.

“We just have to see how he pulls up in a couple of days.''