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Hall is unconcerned by prospect of facing 'out of position' Hayne
CONFIDENT England flier Ryan Hall reckons he has nothing to worry about when facing the world's greatest in Saturday's Gillette Four Nations Final.
The Leeds Rhinos winger will line up against Jarryd Hayne, the Australian star who won International Player of the Year earlier this week.
But Hall insisted he is undaunted by the prospect, labelling the dynamic Parramatta Eels man "just another player".
"I've heard his name a couple of times," said Super League's top tryscorer, who collected International Rookie of the Year at the same event and was also named the finest winger in the game.
"I have heard he's a good player but he's just another player in a shirt to me.
"I'm an England player wearing my shirt and I'm going to do my best to get one over him.
"When I first heard their team and he was playing on the wing, I didn't feel anything towards it because I think he's playing out of position.
"He won the award playing at full-back. He's a good player but he can't be the player that has shone all year."
Hayne, 21, has failed to oust last year's victor Billy Slater as Kangaroos full-back on this tour, instead cutting a forlorn figure on the right wing.
Much of the action has been heading to their left-side combination of Greg Inglis and Brett Morris, who teamed up to split England open ruthlessly when the sides met at Wigan 12 days ago.
Hall kept Hayne quiet in that 26-16 loss and is looking to do the same at Elland Road as underdogs England seek to reverse the result.
Ironically, though, given his own personal achievements in 2009, Hall has had little chance himself to showcase those attacking skills which have made him such a sensation.
"It has been a bit frustrating and sometimes the ball hasn't really come our way either," he said, about his own partnership with Castleford Tigers centre Michael Shenton.
"The main priority for me though is to make sure we come out winners on Saturday.
"If I have to score a couple of tries I'll do that and I'll have a smile on my face as always but really I just want to win with England."
Hall, also 21, admitted he was "surprised" at winning the International Rookie title having not even known he was in the reckoning until shortly before the gala dinner.
Now he wants to cap off his memorable year with a shock Four Nations triumph.
"This is the biggest game I can be in," he said. "It's like the Grand Final really, it's a massive occasion. I've played in a couple of them so I know what to expect and hopefully I'll be able to reproduce my form for Leeds."
Hayne was equally stunned at being voted the best player on the planet calling the achievement "surreal".
He played for Fiji in last year's World Cup after failing to even make the Australia squad but has enjoyed a whirlwind 12 months since.
Hayne has transformed from a talented but inconsistent maverick to someone who now has the world at his feet.
However, he acknowledges he is lucky to be around at all having had a brush with death following a drive-by shooting outside a Sydney nightclub in May last year.
"It was a close-call," he recalled. "I was out in town and things just boiled over. Me and a couple of team-mates did get shot at. I've pretty much had everything in life, ups and downs. Things like that I look back on and think 'Geez, they were shaky.'
"I could be dead or I could be standing here being International Player of the Year.
"It's something that I don't regret. It slowly opened my eyes and that was the start of me becoming the player and person I am today.
"If all those things didn't happen I could still be the person I was – have a couple of good games, then a couple of bad.
"In a sense I'm happy it happened. In another, I hope it doesn't again 'cos it scared the life out of me."
Opting to play with Fiji proved crucial in Hayne's development.
They stunned everyone to reach the World Cup semi-finals with Hayne shining.
He went on to enjoy a stellar season for Grand Finalists Parramatta, winning the Dally M Medal for the NRL's player of the year, his outstanding form earning a State of Origin call-up for New South Wales and eventually securing that Australia recognition he craved.
Hall's rise has been spectacular but the rate of Hayne's recent ascent is almost unbelievable.
"If you'd have said I'd be here doing this now 12 months ago, you'd be silly" conceded the dazzling runner.
"No one could have seen all this happen to me.
"The only reason I played for Fiji was because I couldn't get in the Aussie side but full credit should go to them."
Penrith Panthers second row Luke Lewis will start his first match for Australia in Saturday's final.
The 26-year-old winger-turned-forward made his Test debut as a substitute in the Kangaroos' 26-16 win over England at Wigan last month and was also on the bench for their 42-4 win over France on Saturday.
His promotion to the starting line-up, at the expense of Manly's Anthony Watmough, is the only surprise in coach Tim Sheens's team, which is otherwise unchanged from the first meeting with England.
Australia: B Slater (Melbourne); J Hayne (Parramatta), G Inglis (Melbourne), J Hodges (Brisbane), B Morris (St George Illawarra);
D Lockyer (Brisbane, capt), J Thurston (North Queensland); P Civoniceva (Penrith), C Smith (Melbourne), B Hannant (Canterbury), L Lewis (Penrith), P Gallen (Cronulla), N Hindmarsh (Parramatta).
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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