The Hayne Plane is back, baby. But did he ever really leave?
"I've still got it, I think," laughed Jarryd Hayne, whisking away to sign more autographs after wrapping up a bevy of media commitments after the Titans' 24-14 loss to the Warriors at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday. Two years in the rugby league wilderness and the former NFL running back was more line backer, punt returner and even a dash of quarterback than the explosive ball carrier that left it two years ago. But this much is for sure: he will have an impact on the sporting wasteland which has been the Gold Coast, both on the field and off it. Maybe just give him a little time to readjust to the game he was born to play.
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Kata double buries Titans
Warriors centre Solomone Kata has bagged two late tries off intercepts to ruin Jarryd Hayne's first game back in the NRL as the Warriors downed the Titans 24-14 on the Gold Coast.
"Everything changes over time," Hayne said. "It's obviously a lot faster and that's probably the biggest thing I've noticed. Probably the body types as well. You don't get the real big boppers these days because you've got to play big minutes and everyone's kind of that second-rower build these days."
Like Bodene Thompson. A few minutes after steamrolling Josh Hoffman to score – and inflicting the centre's first of two head knocks for the game – Thompson thought he would line up his replacement in Hayne. Welcome back to the NRL, son.
He might think twice again. The Plane stopped him dead on the tarmac – or a metre from the end of the runway – and everyone knew the former Eel was back. "Whenever you step onto an NRL field you've got to be ready to go," Hayne said. "I just had to throw my body on the line there and thankfully I was able to pull it off and stop him short of the goal line."
It was a sign of the rest of Hayne's afternoon. He brutalised rather than bedazzled. Smashed rather than swerved. Was more line backer rather than running back.
 But his most telling contribution – besides a deft grubber which saw Anthony Don score a late consolation – came when a floater landed in the  arms of David Fusitu'a. The Warriors speedster sprinted 80 metres before being dragged down. Solomone Kata scored on the next play, one of two second-half tries for the barrel-legged centre from intercepts as the Warriors spoiled the Titans' party. Not that there weren't a few smiles on Titans faces on the way out.
"That was something I was devastated at and if you look at the game we gave them 12 points literally when we were attacking their line," Hayne said. Â Titans coach Neil Henry added: "He wasn't happy about a long pass that he threw. He knows it was the wrong decision. It was an error of judgment but, geez, he had a couple of nice touches too."
More than 25,000 jammed into  Robina to watch rugby league's walking headline return – many of them ex-pat Kiwis who were overjoyed with the result. It was the biggest crowd on the Gold Coast since the 2010 qualifying final.
"It's pretty scary when you consider that's his first game," Warriors coach Andrew McFadden said. "We didn't know where he was going to play, but we prepared for the best of him."
That they did. But how will the Tigers? Knights? Panthers? Cowboys? That's when The Plane might really find his mojo. If ever we doubted he lost it.
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