Parramatta Eels coach Ricky Stuart says he is excited by captain Jarryd Hayne's potential as a player Parramatta Eels coach Ricky Stuart is excited by Jarryd Hayne's potential. JARRYD Hayne can get better as a footballer. How much better is up to him. I say that because I have seen the improvement in him already this season and, as good as he is - and he is very good - I can see how much better he still can be. I look forward to coaching that player. A lot has been said about Jarryd this week given what else has been happening in the NRL, but I won't be buying into Origin and who Laurie Daley should or should not be playing in what position. I talk regularly to Laurie's adviser Bob Fulton and I'm a close mate of Laurie's. That means I'll support whoever they choose in their team. Jarryd is a quality footballer. Good enough that he has been voted NSW's player of the series from the wing, something both Laurie and Bozo know and something they will consider when they pick their team. It's their business, not mine. I used to be the Origin coach. Now I'm Jarryd Hayne's coach and my focus is there. When I first got the job the first thing former players and some of the officials and staff around the club asked me was how was I going to handle Jarryd? The answer is more simple than people realise. I treat him like I treat my under-20s players. Part of the club, no better and no worse than anyone else. It works because that's the way Jarryd wants to be treated. He doesn't want to be singled out, treated above other players. The irony is that the more you try to treat him differently to bring out his brilliant qualities the worse it sits with him and the worse he plays. One of the big improvements in Jarryd this season has been his work off the ball. When I came out a few years back and called on him to move to five-eighth a big part of that was because he was not doing the work you want to see out of your fullbacks off the ball. He still has the skills to be a great five-eighth and with the right off-season he could get there when he chooses, but we spent this past season putting a lot of work into him playing well at fullback and it is paying dividends. For a start, he's 103kg. Only Greg Inglis would be bigger. That showed how hard he trained in the off-season. What else has got me excited is the work he has done on the parts of his game where he has been criticised in the past. I've criticised him myself.He was always slow to the football on kick receptions. He was lazy in some areas off the football, supports roles and things like that, even some of the structures in attack. But he is buying in now. Already, he is now the best defensive fullback in the game. He saved two certain tries last weekend against the Cowboys and more than likely a third. That's as good as scoring them yourself. His work off the ball is terrific as well. That's the improvement - and the improvement to come in him is in those small details we see in the best players. There I'm talking about players like Billy Slater, who prepares so well. The reason so few balls bounce before Billy gets to them is he does so much homework on where kickers like to kick, and what sort of kick it is, that he's invariably there waiting for it. What's left for Jarryd are those types of things, a commitment to the small parts of his preparation. Taking more time with his video, his physical preparation, things like that. I've coached Billy and I've seen how methodical he is in his preparation, and slowly the work now will begin to help Jarryd be just as diligent. That's what's left for him.