quote:

Jarryd Hayne means business. Both in his return to the Parramatta Eels and clearing his name amid rape accusations set for a Santa Clara courthouse in April.

When he signed with the Eels just over a month ago, the most common question asked was whether he would be the same player again.

Now there are far more pressing concerns at play, with some wondering if he will ever be the same person again.

Not many would have done what Jarryd Hayne and the Eels orchestrated on the first day of his second coming on Wednesday.

They opened the gates, encouraged media to take footage, and threw him – albeit he was well rehearsed – in front of a large media gathering at the team’s training facility in North Parramatta.

A simple "we have nothing to hide" approach. He wasn’t forced into it either. Quite the contrary, actually. He had to be advised to hold off speaking his mind about the legal battle he faces.

As Hayne "vehemently" denied the allegations, to his left stood his coach.

Brad Arthur, who has put his reputation on the line signing a player others perceived as damaged goods, was blindsided as much as anyone else by the accusations.

But there he was, standing by his player in a show of support that Hayne will be desperate to repay on the football field.

“That was a tough situation to be put in and I didn’t want him to go in alone,” Arthur told NRL.com.

“I wanted him to know that we always go into bat for our players. I did the same for Jarryd as I would have done for any of our players.”

Hayne has a support network that leaves him far better equipped to deal with this situation than he would have been if he was still at the Gold Coast Titans.