Former NRL star Jarryd Hayne has been approached to make a surprise comeback, six years after he last played on a top-level football pitch.
Fiji coach and former NRL player Wise Kativerata hopes the 36-year-old will make a decision before the island nation’s Pacific Bowl tournament in November.
The two-time Dally M Medal winner has not played a match since 2018 while facing allegations of sexual abuse.
Hayne was initially found guilty, but in June the charges were dismissed on appeal and he left prison a free man.
Fiji’s coach said the “door is open for him if he wants to play” after sprint coach Roger Fabri allayed concerns over his fitness.
“He (Hayne) is fit but we are still waiting for his decision whether he is interested, which will be a boost for the team,” Kativerata told the Daily Telegraph.
Fabri described Hayne as a ‘top athlete’ who can never be ignored when he ‘sets his mind to something’.
“When Jarryd puts his mind to it, he’ll never stray, he’s proven that time and time again. He did the unthinkable by making an NFL roster,” he said.
Two-time Dally M Medallist Jarryd Hayne (pictured) has been offered a place in the Fiji national team, more than half a decade after he last took to the field
Fiji will play Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands in tests played in Fiji and Port Moresby
The final will be played on November 10 at Commbank Stadium in Sydney.
But even if Hayne agrees to play, there is no guarantee he will participate.
The Australian Rugby League commission still has to approve the deal, despite Hayne not being a contracted player.
If Hayne is selected, the matter will be discussed.
Hayne, who has a Fijian father, scored five goals in ten appearances for Fiji as a dual national at the 2008 and 2017 World Cups.
Haynes’ career ended in 2018 after allegations of sexual abuse were made against him, which landed him in prison for two years before being released on appeal
He represented Australia at the 2013 World Cup, where he scored three goals and provided two assists in the 64–0 win over Fiji.
Australia won the final against New Zealand, with Hayne scoring two more tries and being crowned joint player’s player, along with Johnathon Thurston.
His career ended after the conclusion of the 2018 NRL season, as Parramatta refused to offer him a contract after allegations of sexual abuse were made.
However, Hayne was honoured the following year after a panel of Premier League coaches and Hall of Fame players voted him into their ‘Team of the Decade’ for the 2010s.