Kangaroos coach Mal Meninga has called on Jarryd Hayne to see out his contract at Gold Coast, saying he hasn't played well enough to leave early.
Hayne is contracted to the Titans until the end of the 2018 NRL season, but News Corp is reporting he is keen on a move to a Sydney club once his Rugby League World Cup commitments with Fiji end to be nearer his daughter.
Asked if Hayne would flourish in a new team, Meninga said: "Who knows? Ask Jarryd, honestly.
"I think he's let the Titans down if he leaves the club. He hasn't played well enough to do that.
"I think he needs to makes sure that he stays at the club and plays the best he possibly can for them.
"They're the ones that invested in him. He has to invest back in the club."
Pressed on whether an early departure would fly in the face of a tumultuous season that ended in coach Neil Henry getting sacked late in the year, Meninga said: "I agree with that, yeah.
"I reckon it's pretty ordinary what's happened there, but that's my thoughts."
Meninga's comments come almost one month after he overlooked Hayne for his 24-man Australian squad for the World Cup, leaving the former Kangaroos star to represent Fiji.
Meninga said he was unconcerned by an increase in NRL players requesting releases midway through their contract, except for Hayne.
"As long as they're committed to the club they're currently at. They put the effort in during the year and then they choose to leave, I'm happy with that," he said.
"But if you don't put the effort in and you let the club down and your mates down, I think you've got an obligation to stay at the club and do the right thing by them."
Meninga refused to shut the door on Hayne returning to the green and gold in the future.
"If he plays well, he might be," he said.
