Jarryd Hayne a confirmed starter after incredible NFL conversion

HE’S already being hailed as one of the greatest stories in Australian sports history.

Revered in the NRL, former Parramatta Eels superstar Jarryd Hayne decided to go from hero to zero and try his luck in the big bad world of American football.

And what do you know? He made it.

Hayne is a hero once again after providing a preseason highlights package to die for, which helped him make the final cut and secure a spot on the San Francisco 49ers’ 53 man squad that will kick of season 2015 against the Minnesota Vikings next week.

“This whole journey was never about being on a roster,” Hayne said.

“It was about getting my opportunities.

“The last 10 minutes I was like, ‘What’s going on? Do I get a phone call?

“He (coach Jim Tomsula) confirmed it and I was obviously over the moon.”

So meteoric has his rise been that the 27 year old rookie could be the starting punt returner against the Vikings on opening night.

What the Australian has done in the NFL in such a short time is nothing short of amazing.

People gave him no chance of making it. They said he would have trouble learning cadence, adapting to the game, handling the physicality of it, handling the pace of it. All of that is out the window.

Well, nuts to them.

The reigning NRL Dally M medallist has averaged more rushing yards than any other player in the entire NFL pre season and finished third for punt returns.

Tomsula said Hayne had overcome the odds to make the roster.

“It’s a tremendous achievement,” Tomsula said.

“I think that’s why people are so enamoured.

“He’s by no means a finished product.

“But the type of person he is and the approach he has taken, he’s the kind of player we want here.”

Hayne will play this season on $620,000 – a pittance compared to what he could have made in the NRL.

But, the hysteria surrounding the Hayne Plane has him on the path to endorsement riches, with some saying he could make upwards of $12 million pushing product.

Most bookies popped out markets on Hayne when he was first mooted for the NFL, with many having to pay out plenty of cash after he made the roster.

He is a $251 outsider with CrownBet.com.au to win the NFL’s most coveted individual award, the season’s Most Valuable Player.

Sportsbet.com.au has him at $101 to win the Super Bowl MVP, but that seems a little far fetched, considering his 49ers are $41 outsiders with WilliamHill.com.au to win the Super Bowl.

If you’re looking for something a little more realistic, Sportsbet has him at a short $1.72 to score at least one touchdown during the season, while he’s $10 to make the Pro Bowl.

If you think he’s going to have a monster season, you can nab the $23 up for grabs on Hayne scoring five or more touchdowns from punt returns on the season.

And if you reckon he can strike against the Vikings, he’s $10 to score a touchdown in the season opener.

While the Niners are long odds, as we mentioned, the team to beat are last season’s Super Bowl vanquished, the Seattle Seahawks at $5.50 with WilliamHill.com.au.

Seahawks coach Tom Cable reckons his man Russell Wilson and company is the best group he’s ever had.

“I’m really excited about where we’re going,” Cable said.

“I think this might be, before it’s all said and done, the best group I’ve had.

“So we’ll see as it plays out.

“These guys are special.

“If anybody is really confident, it’s probably me more than anybody, because I see them every day. “I’m pretty excited.”

Fresh off ‘Deflate Gate’ Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are the only other NFL team in single figures for the Super Bowl, sitting at $9 to go back to back.

Brady was suspended for four games after he was found to have played a part in deflating balls for the AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts last year.

Brady, one of the best players in the game, took the NFL to court and had his suspension over turned, just last week.

He’ll now be ready to suit up against the Steelers this weekend.

“Anything that has happened over the last seven months really hasn’t been my job,” Brady said. “This is what my job is — to go out there and try to be a great leader for our team, to try to go out and execute the plays that are called and execute them at a high level.

“So, that’s where my focus has been.

“There has been a lot of studying, a lot of trying to figure out how they are going to play.”

The Indianapolis Colts ($10), Denver Broncos ($13), Dallas Cowboys ($17) and Baltimore Ravens ($19) are the only other teams given a chance by WilliamHill.com.au punters.

Speaking of Brady, he’s fourth on the line of NFL MVP betting at $13, headed by Denver’s Peyton Manning and Pittsburgh’s LeVeon Bell, both at $12, while a pair of fund in Aaron Rodgers ($5.50) and Andrew Luck ($6) battle it out for favouritism.

Jarryd Hayne markets

Jarryd Hayne to score a touchdown in 2015/16 NFL regular season ($1.72)

Jarryd Hayne to be selected to the 2015/16 Pro Bowl ($10)

Jarryd Hayne to score five plus touchdowns from punt returns in NFL 2015/16 regular season ($21)

Jarryd Hayne Super Bowl 50 Most Valuable Player ($101)

Jarryd Hayne scores touchdown in his first NFL regular season appearance ($10)

NFL week one odds

New England Patriots ($1.34) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers ($3.40)

New York Jets ($1.65) vs. Cleveland Browns ($2.18)

St. Louis Rams ($2.70) vs. Seattle Seahawks ($1.49)

Washington Redskins ($2.66) vs. Miami Dolphins ($1.50)

Chicago Bears ($3.30) vs. Green Bay Packers ($1.35)

Houston Texans ($1.87) vs. Kansas City Chiefs ($1.97)

Jacksonville Jaguars ($2.46) vs. Carolina Panthers ($1.57)

Buffalo Bills ($2.24) vs. Indianapolis Colts ($1.67)

San Diego Chargers ($1.65) vs. Detroit Lions ($2.28)

Arizona Cardinals ($1.73) vs. New Orleans Saints ($2.16)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($1.58) vs. Tennessee Titans ($2.44)

Oakland Raiders ($2.50) vs. Cincinnati Bengals ($1.56)

Denver Broncos ($1.45) vs. Baltimore Ravens ($2.84)

Dallas Cowboys ($1.39) vs. New York Giants ($3.05)

Atlanta Falcons ($2.30) vs. Philadelphia Eagles ($1.65)

San Francisco 49ers ($2.21) vs. Minnesota Vikings ($1.70)

2015/16 Super Bowl odds

Seattle Seahawks ($5.50)

Green Bay Packers ($7)

New England Patriots ($9)

Indianapolis Colts ($10)

Denver Broncos ($13)

Dallas Cowboys ($17)

Baltimore Ravens ($19)

Philadelphia Eagles ($21)

Pittsburgh Steelers ($26)

Arizona Cardinals ($29)

Detroit Lions ($31)

Cincinnati Bengals ($31)

Miami Dolphins ($31)

Kansas City Chiefs ($34)

New York Giants ($34)

Buffalo Bills ($34)

San Francisco 49ers ($41)

New Orleans Saints ($41)

San Diego Chargers ($41)

Atlanta Falcons ($41)

Carolina Panthers ($41)

Houston Texans ($41)

St Louis Rams ($41)

Chicago Bears ($51)

Minnesota Vikings ($51)

Cleveland Browns ($81)

New York Jets ($81)

Washington Redskins ($101)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ($151)

Oakland Raiders ($201)

Jacksonville Jaguars ($201)

Tennessee Titans ($201)

2015/16 NFL Most Valuable Player markets

Aaron Rodgers ($5.50)

Andrew Luck ($6)

LeVeon Bell ($12)

Peyton Manning ($12)

Tom Brady ($13)

Adrien Peterson ($15)

Ben Roethlisberger ($15)

Drew Brees ($15)

Marshawn Lynch ($17)

Jamaal Charles ($19)

Russell Wilson ($19)

Cam Newton ($21)

DeMarco Murray ($21)

Matt Ryan ($21)

Philip Rivers ($21)

Tony Romo ($21)

Antonio Brown ($26)

Calvin Johnson ($26)

Eddie Lacy ($26)

JJ Watt ($26)

Joe Flacco ($26)

LeSean McCoy ($26)

Dez Bryant ($34)

Matthew Stafford ($34)

Rob Gronkowski ($34)

Colin Kaepernick ($51)

Eli Manning ($51)

Julio Jones ($51)

Matt Forte ($51)

Melvin Gordon ($51)

Nick Foles ($51)

Odell Beckham Jr ($51)

Ryan Tannehill ($51)

Sam Bradford ($51)