Gold Coast Titans NRL star Jarryd Hayne is expecting his first child with a friend he had known for just weeks.
The code hopping superstar, 28, was said to have been left stunned after Amellia Bonnici, 25, who he met via Instagram early this year, announced she was pregnant and expecting child at the end of the year.
Titans chief executive Graham Annersley confirmed the news to News Limited, refusing to comment further on the matter.
Friends say Hayne has now moved Bonnici into his Gold Coast apartment and promises to support her.
She was said to have been "nervous" about telling him because they were not officially dating and he was living in America at the time, according to New Idea magazine.
The magazine claims the former NRL star, who quit Australia to chase his Olympic dream in the US with the Fiji Rugby Sevens, met Miss Bonnici while visiting Australia in February after months of pursuing his career abroad.
Jarryd returned to Australia in August after signing with the Gold Coast Titans
He was named Twitter's No.1 number one rugby league player at the weekend, pipping Nathan Peats and Sam Burgess to the title.