Former rugby league star Jarryd Hayne has returned to Australia in a bid to cure a niggling hip injury that could jeopardise his prospects of making the Fijian Olympic sevens team.
Jarryd Hayne in action for Fiji at the London Sevens. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The former Parramatta and San Francisco 49ers NFL player arrived back in Sydney from Fiji last night, on the same flight as current Eels winger Semi Radradra, who was met at Sydney Airport by police.
Radradra was taken to nearby Mascot police station, where he was charged with three counts of domestic violence in relation to allegations from his former partner that assaulted her.
The former NSW Blues and Kangaroos star Hayne is trying to secure a spot in the Fijian sevens side, a tough ask given they have won the last two World Series titles.
Their squad will be named in two weeks, with Hayne battling to overcome a niggling injury.
"The training schedule is pretty hectic at the moment and if I don't get it right, it could jeopardise the future," Hayne said.
He said he had considered returning to Australia last week.
"We got through and we were managing it and then Tuesday I strained my quad," Hayne said.
"We knew with the amount of physio I'd been doing and the amount of treatment I'd been getting that if I didn't get my hip right, it was just going to be one of those ongoing issues.
"I was at training today (Thursday) and we thought about running, but the swelling didn't go down as much as we wanted to.
"There was an option to come back here and see my people, the biggest probably my chiropractor.
"To get my hip right and hopefully getting the line right and that should hopefully take a lot of my pressure off my quad and relieve a bit of swelling around my leg.
"The coaching staff have been great in Fiji, just being able to give me time to get it 100 per cent.
"Because the way we run over there it's very intense, a lot of kilometres in my legs, so a little niggling injury like this really can jeopardise it if you don't get it right.
"I think the best thing would be for me to get the treatment, get my hip 100 per cent and hopefully by Monday I'll be flying again."
-AAP