SANTA CLARA: It was dubbed the greatest performance in State of Origin history, but it might also be remembered as the night rugby league lost Jarryd Hayne.

He always had the dream, never the confidence to turn it into a reality.

But Blues hooker Robbie Farah believes Hayne's heroics throughout last year's drought-breaking Blues Origin series victory, in particular his efforts in game one at Suncorp Stadium, ignited an untapped source of confidence that led the superstar fullback down a road of no return.

"I think in that Origin series last year, he just grew as a player and a person," Farah said.

"Everyone saw his performance in game one, probably the greatest performance I've seen at that level. I remember going into that game ... we said it's time for us to own it.

"That's the way he went out there and played that night. He owned that arena. I think he took a lot of confidence out of what he achieved and I think it gave him the belief that he can go over there and really compete in the NFL."

At 26, time was starting to running out for Hayne to realise his American dream.

Another season had gone to waste at Parramatta as the chances of the Eels winning a long-awaited premiership during his career looking grim.

He was their leader.

And, one could argue, thrown into the job prematurely by former coach Ricky Stuart, who was left with no choice but to appoint Hayne and Tim Mannah co-captains because of a lack of leadership qualities at the Eels after the retirement of club legend Nathan Hindmarsh.

And yes, he stuffed up. He was criticised for the way he approached the referees and looked weighed down by the burden of responsibility.

But the day Stuart rocked Parramatta by announcing at a team meeting, while Hayne was away on Origin duties, that 12 players no longer had a future at the underperforming club evoked some leadership qualities never seen before in the enigmatic fullback.

He came out in defence of his players and, while he rocked the boat with his coach and club powerbrokers, he earned the respect of his peers that helped him develop as a captain.

The following year, Hayne revelled in the expectation and pressure that fell on his shoulders as NSW went about ending Queensland's eight-year Origin stranglehold, standing tall on the big stage in what was his finest hour.

"I think he really grew into a strong leader the 12 months before leaving," Farah said.

"We saw that at Parramatta and we saw that at NSW. Last year's series, some of the performances he put in were unbelievable. Not only his performances, but the way he was at training, the way he spoke up in terms of what we wanted to achieve and the culture we were trying to build.

"I hadn't seen that in Haynesy before. That's where I saw he grew as an athlete. It was really impressive and it went a long way to us achieving what we did last year. It also went a long way in him realising his potential and gave him the confidence to do what he is doing in America right now."

Hayne's "seize the moment, no regrets" attitude is the driving force as he continues to put his name up in lights in the United States.

For him, it's all about not letting an opportunity slip, which is why he was dumbfounded when he was told by the 49ers coaching staff to take a fair catch during the fourth preseason trial against the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night.

"I was filthy," a jovial Hayne said.

"We got told to do it. It was kind of like sportsmanship, the special team's coach said. I was like 'what, what, what do you mean fair catch?'.

"He was like, 'don't, don't return it'. I was like, 'why', he's like, 'don't return it'. I was like, 'all right, cool, I need to practice a fair catch anyway'."

While his mother and sisters waited in the tunnels of Levi's Stadium, Hayne left a very satisfied man after exceeding his own expectations in the preseason.

But according to the man himself, his final attempt at showing coach Jim Tomsula and the 49ers he belonged in tights and shoulder pads was his most convincing.

"I think tonight was the best I've played," Hayne said.

"Getting my pads low and reading my blocks and just knowing what I was doing out there ... just ground the pound. You know what I mean? Those little things, getting low and getting through the gaps and reading my blocks and reading the plays.

"I just try to figure out things that I can do better, little things that I thought I could do. But I think that was my most complete game. Be consistent and keep up what I'm doing kind of thing."