Parramatta coach Stephen Kearney insists his brilliant utility Jarryd Hayne will stay at fullback for the Eels.
Parramatta coach Stephen Kearney is adamant superstar Jarryd Hayne will remain at fullback for the struggling Eels as they prepare to face fellow 2012 NRL underachievers Wests Tigers.
Kearney's team are running last with just one win from seven games, two points below the Tigers, who many pundits installed as competition favourites going into the season.
"I think they are desperate like we are, so it's a matter of making sure that we are more desperate and that's going to be our focus for the weekend," Kearney told reporters on Thursday.
After his brief flirtation with five-eighth for City against Country, Hayne was listed in his most familiar position of fullback for Sunday's clash with the Tigers at Parramatta Stadium.
While Hayne has played at five-eighth for Parramatta in past seasons, Kearney was adamant his main backline strike weapon will continue to occupy the No.1 jersey for the Eels.
"He (Hayne) is a fullback with us, so that's all we need to focus on," Kearney said.
"That's all we're concerned about - that his best position with the Parramatta club is at fullback."
Veteran winger Luke Burt has been restored to the wing, with Cheyse Blair shifted to centre to cover for the injured Esi Tonga.
Burt said his confidence hadn't dipped after being demoted to NSW Cup side Wentworthville and he wanted to take the opportunity to re-establish himself in the senior side.
"They (the Tigers) have got plenty of threats right across the park, so if they fire, we know we are in for a tough game," Burt said.
"Our defence has to be on and I think that's what will win us the game."
Kearney conceded the Eels' finals hopes would probably be over if they lost on Sunday and admitted confidence was an issue.
"Certainly after the last few weeks, it's not real positive, we've just got to work our way through it," Kearney said.
He tipped out-of-form halfback Chris Sandow, who is recovering from a shoulder strain, to bounce back but didn't guarantee he would line up against the Tigers.
"We ran through some stuff yesterday, so it's a matter of how he pulls up," Kearney said of Sandow.
He felt the break for the representative games gave his players the chance to freshen up.
"The time that I did have over in New Zealand before the Test match was an opportunity to reassess things and see where we're at as a footy club and work on trying to get ourselves back on the scoresheet," Kearney said.
He chuckled when it was suggested his position of New Zealand national coach might give him some special insight into stopping fellow Kiwi and Tigers superstar Benji Marshall.
"Sometimes Benji doesn't know what he's going to do, I'm not too sure how I'm going to pick that," Kearney said.
