WHEN Jarryd Hayne left the NRL and the Parramatta Eels he did so as the game’s best player and most recognisable face; Parramatta Jarryd 2.0 wants to cede into the background and become simply one of the boys.

Living life out of the spotlight is not something that Hayne has been afforded ever since breaking into first grade at 18 years of age but rarely has the glare shone so brightly as his first day back in the blue and gold on Wednesday.

With serious accusations of sexual assault hanging over his head – allegations he vehemently denies and says he will address in full once the legal process is complete – Hayne’s return to Parramatta was as much pleasure as it was painful.

The 29-year-old appeared to struggle with some of the demands put on him and the entire squad in fitness testing, to his credit he held his nerve in the face of a media scrum desperate for details and then spoke of his recurring dream of winning a premiership with the Eels.

Round 19

It was in some ways the final backhander to the Titans who trumpeted his signature 18 months ago in a lavish press conference only to be forced sit idly by as their star recruit waxed lyrical of his love of the Eels, a love he admitted he didn’t think would be requited again after his move to the Gold Coast.

Watch every NRL premiership game live in 2018 on Fox Sports. Sign up here to stream for free on a two week trial >

But the prodigal son has returned and insists that rather than playing a lone hand as he did for much of his previous nine-year stint at the club, that the culture coach Brad Arthur has cultivated and the talent within the squad means he can take a back seat and help usher in the next generation of Parramatta stars in a more subdued manner.

Jarryd Hayne addresses the media on Wednesday. Photo: Mark Evans Source: Getty Images

“We’ve got other stars than me,” said Hayne, who will remain a human headline whether he likes it or not. “Mitch (Moses), ‘Normy’ (Corey Norman), and Bev (Bevan French).

“For me it’s about coming in and helping them go to that next level and that’s something I’m happy to be a part of and hoping to do.

“You’ve got Normy, ‘Mose’, Timmy (Mannah), ‘Bev’, (Clint) Gutherson as well who were absolutely killing it last year.

“It wasn’t just one or two guys really pulling the strings, it was everyone really working as a unit, working together.

“Talent-wise, I probably haven’t seen a Parra team with this much talent from 1-17.”

The fact that the Eels under Arthur have become greater than the sum of their parts made many fans nervous that the Hayne way of doing things would dismantle everything they had managed to build without him.

He certainly didn’t have the positive leadership influence on young players at the Titans that club officials had expected but there was a calmness amidst the storm that suggests Hayne is truly happiest at home in Sydney’s west.

“It’s been a great first day. I love being at my childhood club, seeing guys that I’ve played footy with since I was a kid,” said Hayne, who is eyeing off either a spot at fullback or in the centres when the team for Round 1 is named in two months’ time.

“I fulfilled a dream (by playing in the NFL) and coming back, I always wanted to be back at Parra. For that to be fulfilled is something that is special to me.

“Last year I wouldn’t have thought it (was possible). A couple of years ago I did but it’s been pretty surreal. Just being around guys that I played with when I was younger, that’s probably the biggest thing.

“We’ve still got our Harold Matts coach here Joey Grima, he was one of the first guys to text me and talk about things that we used to speak about when we were kids. About how special it would be to win a comp in the blue and gold.

“Those little things there, there’s no other place you can do it other than home.

“I’m happy to be home.”