Rugby league-Hayne Plane lands on Gold Coast for Titans NRL deal

Aug 3 (Reuters) - Code-hopper Jarryd Hayne has snubbed his boyhood club Parramatta Eels to sign a two-year deal with the Gold Coast Titans as he announced his return to Australia's National Rugby League (NRL) on Wednesday. Hayne left Parramatta in 2014 as he attempted to forge an American Football career with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, vowing in a letter to fans on his departure that he would never sign for any other club should he return to Australia. The 28-year-old, whose new contract runs until the end of the 2018 season, is eligible for selection immediately and could line up for the Titans against the New Zealand Warriors on Sunday. "Not in my wildest dreams I ever thought I would be up on the Gold Coast," Hayne told reporters, adding that he had not received a formal offer from the Eels, who are facing a period of instability due to salary cap sanctions. "A part of me is sad because I'm not going to go back to the club that I grew up with and loved as a kid. At the end of the day, I wanted to play footy this year," added Hayne, who was voted the NRL player of the year in 2009 and 2014. "The way that the board is... the way things have gone this year, couldn't get something done, it's sad and it hurts me just as much as I know it hurts the fans down there." Hayne left the 49ers earlier this year after one patchy season to try and earn a spot on Fiji's rugby sevens team at the Rio Olympics, but after he was overlooked, his sporting future became the subject of widespread speculation in Australia. The news that the former New South Wales and Kangaroos representative had signed for the Titans has not gone down well with Eels fans and former players, however. Former Parramatta lock forward Ray Price told Fox Sports he was "gutted" by Hayne's decision. "In hindsight, I really did think Jarryd would go for the money and you can't blame him. You don't get that much of a career out of it but it's still a little bit dirty because Parramatta helped him chase his dreams," he said. Media reports suggest that Hayne's deal with the Titans is worth about A$1.2 million ($910,680) a season, which would make him the highest paid player in NRL history. "There's no real fairytales in rugby league and it has become a business, players have got to look after themselves," Brett Kenny, who won four premierships with Parramatta, said. The Titans (23 points) are seventh on the NRL ladder with five games remaining with the top eight teams advancing to the post-season Finals series. The Eels were deducted 12 points due to salary cap infringements and are down in 14th place. ($1 = A$1.3177) (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)