The Irish backpacker Jarryd Hayne saved from drowning says there will be a seat for the cross-code star at her wedding if he's able to attend.

Christina Caffrey was in the country for less than a fortnight when she got caught in a rip at Coogee four years ago. Hayne and his father, Manoa Thompson, came to the rescue, pulling her out of the surf. Caffrey was blissfully unaware of the duo's standing in the rugby league community but subsequently boarded the Hayne Plane and has been following his career with interest ever since.

"I followed Jarryd's career when he was at Parramatta and now I'm going to have to watch a bit of NFL to see how he goes," Caffrey said.

"I was pretty crap at it, but I'm an all right swimmer now. I took up ocean swimming for charity Can Too [for cancer research]. I thought I might as well learn so I know what I'm doing. I [initially] had no idea who they were. I asked for their names a few times back at the beach. I was having a few beers that night with a few of my friends and they asked me who his name was and I said, 'Jerry or something'.

"The next day my brother and I were in the store and he came running across with the paper and it had Jarryd Hayne on the front.

"Our friends cottoned on to it. With the Irish community here, if it involves one of us we stick up our heads to see what's going on. People were trying to find me at the time, which is pretty funny.

"I was only in the country for 10 days, I didn't understand there was such a thing as rugby league or how big the team was. He could have been anybody."

Caffrey is poised to attain her citizenship next month and is marrying an Australian in Dublin next year. Her fiance never tires of telling people that he owes Hayne for saving the love of his life.

"My partner thinks it's the funniest thing ever, he enjoys telling people. It's kind of his party piece," she said.

"I always mess with him and say you wouldn't have me [if not for Jarryd]. I'm like your show pony when you meet people.

"We're getting married in Ireland next year. I said we should probably invite him to the wedding."

Plane speaking

"The Hayne Plane" is now an officially registered trademark and there are at least half a dozen other Hayne-related images or words pending registration. In a clear indication of the strength of his brand, a range of companies are looking to protect or cash in on Hayne's intellectual property. Trademarks currently pending include "Jarryd Hayne", "The Hayne Plane 38", "J Hayne Apparel", "The Hayne Plane", "THE JARRYD HAYNE STORY" and "1 TO 38 THE JARRYD HAYNE STORY". Telstra will no doubt be one of the companies protecting its asset as it bought the rights to tell the two-time Dally M medallist's remarkable tale, while other marketing opportunities abound after he made the 49ers squad.

On the move? Jamal Idris. Photo: Jonathan Carroll

Panther on prowl

Jamal Idris' manager is shopping the out-of-favour Panther to Melbourne in the hope he will respond to the tough love of Craig Bellamy.

Idris remains contracted to the Panthers but won't be at the foot of the mountain next season. The Storm have an opening in the centres following the departure of Kurt Mann to the Dragons but are also negotiating with several of their own off-contract outside backs. Bellamy coached Idris in his only Origin appearance and is known for getting the best out of players. Will Hopoate has also been offered to the Storm as his contract dramas with Parramatta play out in the Supreme Court.

Coach bug itches

Daniel Anderson appears to still have the coaching bug. We've been told he unsuccessfully applied for the Newcastle job.

Anderson, currently general manager of football operations at Parramatta, had a crack at the gig that eventually went to Nathan Brown. Anderson is close to Knights CEO Matt Gidley, whom he coached at English club St Helens. Anderson has a strained relationship with Eels coach Brad Arthur and there have been suggestions the former wants another opportunity to coach the blue-and-golds. In an intriguing twist, it is understood Arthur was discreetly sounded out about the Knights but he never had any interest in leaving Parramatta. It was reported Anderson had previously applied for the Knights job, as the replacement for Wayne Bennett.

Eyes are Blue

The Blues are on the lookout for an assistant coach after Nathan Brown quit to concentrate on ridding Newcastle of the wooden spoon.

Brown joined the NSW brains trust for this year's Origin campaign and was highly regarded by NSWRL officials. However, the former Dragons hooker and coach has a massive task in the Hunter and wanted to devote his attention to the Knights. Blues coach Laurie Daley is now scouring the state for a replacement. Brown's association with Melbourne, where he was a consultant, will likely continue until the end of their season. He was spotted in Craig Bellamy's coaching box on Friday night helping plot the upset win over the Roosters.

The long game

The 2008 NSW Cup grand final, in which Wentworthville beat Newtown, is considered the longest rugby league club match in history. But that marathon clash - all 104 minutes of it - has been surpassed. There is a new record after Denman beat Scone 24-20 in the Group 21 (Hunter Valley) decider. It took 128 minutes of play to separate the sides, setting a record that may never be broken.

Hard to handle: Martin Taupau. Photo: Getty Images

Tiger hunting

We're hearing South Sydney is keen to make a play for Wests Tigers enforcer Martin Taupau. The Kiwi international had another big season in a struggling team and is sure to attract plenty of interest from rivals. The 25-year-old is contracted until the end of 2016 and could be an option for the Rabbitohs after they parted early with Glenn Stewart. "Gifty" had a falling out with Michael Maguire over the coach's gruelling training workloads, which are more onerous than he was accustomed to at Manly. Other Rabbitohs players are also grumbling about being flogged on the training paddock, claiming they are spent by the time they run out for matches.

Cash cry

Which former NSW and Australian representative is blowing up to his former club after being left $150,000 out of pocket in unpaid third-party agreements?

In then out

Eric Grothe was invited to Parramatta's player reunion last weekend, only to be kicked out of the leagues club during the evening. Grothe was suspended from the club he won four premierships with over a deal to sell meat trays while he was a director. It appeared the matter was put aside for at least one evening, allowing the Eels legend to mix with his contemporaries. But later in the evening he was frogmarched out of in a sign that factionalism remains rife at the blue-and-golds. Grothe's invitation may not have been the only error by organisers - they sent out a circular asking for the contact info of a range of past players and officials they planned to invite. One of them was legendary administrator Jack Argent, who passed away more than a decade ago.

Discretion better

Cronulla's decision to knock back an extraordinary $11 million sponsorship offer from infidelity matchmakers Ashley Madison has proved a prudent one. The extramarital dating service offered the Sharks the mammoth sum in return for jersey and ground sponsorship when no other backers would go near the club. But given the hacking scandal made global headlines, it appeared a wise decision to reject the indecent proposal.

Not so contrary

St George Illawarra director Sean O'Connor shocked many when he publicly backed the appointment of Paul McGregor as the man to coach the club ahead of Wayne Bennett midway through last year. The call shocked many at the time, but the fact Mary has been able to steer the Dragons into the playoffs when many experts earmarked them as spoon contenders suggests he has been proved right.