FRESH from smashing this season’s record for hit-ups and running metres, Jarryd Hayne was nursing a sore back when he reported for NSW Origin duty this week.

X-factor … Jarryd Hayne poses for the cameras. Photograph: Colleen Petch / The Daily Telegraph

But for Parramatta’s enigmatic dynamo, the pain was in a slightly higher and less sensitive region than usual.

“I’ve copped a few kicks up the backside in my time,” Hayne told The Daily Telegraph.

“There’s been occasions when the senior players at Parra like (Nathan) Hindmarsh and (Nathan) Cayless have given me a bit of a wake-up call when they think I’m not working hard enough. When I’ve been going bad, they’ve pulled me in line and let me know the deal.”

Much to the frustration of Eels fans, Hayne’s remarkable powers on the field aren’t always evident in his attention span and concentration away from football.

One of the NRL’s most laid-back characters, the 20-year-old can be often caught star-gazing or stretching in the middle of a video session.

But as last round’s virtuoso effort against South Sydney demonstrated, few are capable of matching Hayne when he flicks the switch.

On top of scoring two of Parramatta’s three tries and laying on the other, Hayne posted an incredible 327 running metres and made 32 hit-ups. No player in any position has recorded figures close to those in 2009, with Hayne’s running distance the fourth-highest in NRL history.

His explosion came in response to a challenge from Eels coach Daniel Anderson, who asked Hayne to lift in the absence of injured teammates.

As a result, Hayne left NSW selectors with no choice but to fit him into the backline at the expense of Australian World Cup wingers Joel Monaghan and David Williams.

But true to form, the Fijian representative collected his sixth Blues jersey with no idea about the extent of last Friday night’s heroics.

When informed, he replied: “Ah . . . that’s why my back is killing me.

“I had no idea I made that many runs, so that must be why my back’s been in so much pain. It’s not usually this sore after the game, so I thought there must be something doing. But don’t worry – I’ll be right for Origin.”

It’s little surprise that Hayne’s wandering mind has relished the switch from the straitjacket confines of five-eighth to the freedom of fullback in recent weeks.

He’s already trimmed down 3kg to adjust to life out wide and plans to lose “another one or two” prior to kick-off.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing at five-eighth and just tried too hard,” Hayne said. “The more I tried the worse I got. I didn’t cope with the pressure in attack.”

What is certain, however, is that Hayne will not be fazed come Wednesday night.

As a wide-eyed 18-year-old, he endured the most emotionally gutwrenching Origin debut imaginable – scoring a spectacular solo try before handing Queensland victory with a wild pass on his own tryline late in the match. But while most players would resent talking about such embarrassment, Hayne has even relived the moment on video.

“I’ve watched it on tape and I’m fine,” he said.

“The kick was going to be a 40/20 anyway, so I had to do something.”