Jarryd Hayne's angry response to journalist's claim

Jarryd Hayne and Titans boss Graham Annesley during a press conference. Photo / Getty

Aussie Jarryd Hayne has been the easiest target on social media for the past 24 hours.

Seemingly the most hated man in western Sydney, Hayne has gone from the Parramatta Eels favourite son to the man that walked away from the club.

The 28-year-old was the second-highest trending topic on Twitter in Australia on Wednesday at one point, but he'd clearly had enough of the vitriol on Thursday.

Awake early on Thursday morning before his first training session with his new Gold Coast Titans teammates, Hayne fired back at a claim from Channel 9 sports presenter Tim Gilbert.

The Today Show presenter appeared to question Hayne's character in a post on Twitter on Wednesday night and criticised Hayne for back-flipping on the "lifetime deal" he famously claimed to have signed with the Eels when he left the NRL to play in the NFL at the end of the 2014 season.

Why can't @JarrydHayne just say @GCTitans is where he wanted to go they were the highest bidder OK it's business just tell it straight!

— Tim Gilbert (@TimgGilbert) August 3, 2016

Hayne's response was as fed-up as it was intriguing.

The former 49ers running back said if he was chasing money alone he would have signed with a rival Sydney club.

Hayne appears to have suggested he could have earned more money if he'd accepted a deal with a rival Sydney club.

The Dragons are reportedly one of several rival clubs based in NSW to have chased Hayne's signature before he signed with the Gold Coast on Tuesday night.

He would of signed with Sydney club, if that was the case. But once again you struggle with your research🙄 https://t.co/sefHOHxfwS

— jarryd hayne (@JarrydHayne) August 3, 2016

Hayne's manager Wayne Beavis admitted on Wednesday night that St George Illawarra had tabled a formal offer to the code-hopper.

It came as Channel 7 chief rugby league reporter Josh Massoud said something appears amiss about Hayne's Titans deal.

"It's the perfect thing for the NRL on the Gold Coast," Hayne told The Grill Team.

"I know I'm supposedly a grubby journo and whatever, but there is something more to this.

"From Jarryd Hayne's perspective, to leave western Sydney where he has a huge fan base and a lot of his friends. To turn his life upside down in 24 hours? I think there is a bigger story behind it. I'm looking forward to finding out what that is.

"He spent a lot longer than 24 hours weighing up his decision to leave Parramatta to go to the NFL."

He said Parramatta's salary cap scandal still appears to be a genuine reason Hayne baulked at the chance to come back.

"They were negotiating with Parra, but I know there was a lot of resentment over their names getting dragged through the mud over the salary cap scandal," Massoud said of Hayne and Beavis.

"When Hayne walked away he was essentially $400K out of pocket through third-party deals that didn't eventuate."

Massoud told Triple M there appears to be more to Hayne's decision to walk away from Parramatta than meets the eye.