Blues coach Brad Fittler says Manly’s Jackson Hastings situation is a “shame”
NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler has described Jackson Hastings’ demotion from the Sea Eagles to NSW Cup for the rest of this season as a “shame”.
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NSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler has described Jackson Hastings’ demotion from the Sea Eagles to NSW Cup for the rest of this season as a “shame”.
The Daily Telegraph revealed that Manly players had told head coach Trent Barrett they would not play alongside Hastings due to what they consider his lack of respect for teammates.
Hastings was omitted from the Sea Eagles’ 21-man squad to play Parramatta on Sunday and is unlikely to win back a place in the top grade unless Manly suffer an injury crisis.
Told Barrett would drop Hastings to Blacktown, Manly’s feeder club, Fittler said: “That’s a statement. Someone said there was a back page story, that’s got to be hard to look at for a young kid.
“He is a bit of a different cat, Jackson. I just wish him the best. He is a really passionate footballer player.
“Maybe he has to work on some other things. He is obviously a good footy player. It’s a bit of shame really.”
Manly is attempting to shop Hastings around for an immediate release, claiming his personality does not fit in at Brookvale. English club Hull HK is believed to be an option.
Just last month, an excited Hastings told of his desire to succeed under Barrett.
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“I’m feeling good. I knew coming into the pre-season nothing was going to be given to me, which was similar to last year,” Hastings said after Manly’s round-two win over Parramatta.
“I thought I had to earn everything and that’s what I really wanted to do — to make ‘Baz’ (Barrett) pick me as opposed to someone going down or getting picked for the sake of getting picked. I wanted to justify his decision to pick me and back that up with a solid performance.
“I think I earnt a shot when called upon. I just wanted to justify his decision in picking me.
I’ve always had little obstacles that I’ve had to jump over to get into a position to play first grade.
“This one was probably the most rewarding to be honest because I knew how hard I had worked in the pre-season and how badly I wanted to get in the team somewhere. When he let me know I was playing it was almost like a debut again.”
The Sea Eagles know Hastings has to leave but club officials still want the utility player to continue his rugby league career.
It is a difficult decision for Manly given officials the club has limited player depth this season.
Hastings had been coming off the bench for Manly this season.