Exiled five-eighth Jackson Hastings says he’d happily answer Manly’s halves problems
BANISHED Manly playmaker Jackson Hastings is desperate to revive his NRL career, telling family and his manager he’d happily answer the Sea Eagles’ halves SOS.
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BANISHED Manly playmaker Jackson Hastings is desperate to revive his NRL career, telling family and his manager he’d happily answer the Sea Eagles’ halves SOS following Lachlan Croker’s season-ending knee injury.
After delivering a solid display in Blacktown’s 44-14 NSW Intrust Super Premiership loss to Canterbury at Belmore Oval, Hastings has vowed to return to the top grade.
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The 22-year-old set up one try with a long ball and kicked one goal in the loss, but he didn’t stop barking orders in a busy performance.
Hastings dislocated his finger late in the second half after making a try-saving tackle, but he pulled it back in and finished the game.
The Sunday Telegraph watched Hastings’ reserve grade match with his father, Kevin, and his wife Lynn, who were sitting high in the southern grandstand.
The former Roosters halfback stressed he wouldn’t talk on the record out of respect to Jackson, who has asked all family members to refrain from speaking publicly.
Hastings senior did say his son was focused on working hard in a bid to rebuild his promising NRL career.
Hastings’ mother, grandfather, sisters, cousin and housemate all attended the match to offer support.
Jackson’s public demotion at Manly has taken a huge toll on his family, including his 95-year-old grandfather Howie, who cried when he read the original “Banished” headline in The Daily Telegraph.
Howie watches most of his grandson’s TV games and has collected a scrapbook of articles.
Hastings’ Manly teammates were also at Belmore, including skipper Daly Cherry-Evans, the man who he had an altercation with after a visit to a strip club in Gladstone earlier this month.
Jake and Tom Trbojevic and Dylan Walker were also at Belmore, before leaving just after halftime.
Hastings’ Blacktown teammate Moses Suli could also be in line for a NRL return in the coming weeks despite producing a quiet performance against Canterbury.
Suli is attempting to return to the NRL at Manly, his third club this years after leaving Canterbury and the Wests Tigers.
But at Belmore yesterday, all eyes were on Hastings, who may receive a recall to first grade after Croker’s season-ending injury.
The salary cap-restricted Sea Eagles now have just 21 top-grade players to select from. This number could drop to 20 after Jono Wright hurt his hand in Blacktown’s loss to the Bulldogs.
Wright left the game with his hand wrapped up and he’ll have scans to determine the full extent of damage in the coming days.
Manly’s injury crisis could leave the club with no choice but to select Hastings, only a week after he was dropped to the NSW Intrust Premiership because teammates refused to play alongside him.
Manly coach Trent Barrett refused to rule out giving Hastings a first grade reprieve after Friday’s loss to Newcastle.
“We’ll consider that on Monday,” Barrett said.
Hastings’ manager Sam Ayoub said he was constantly monitoring his client’s welfare.
“I’ve been talking to Jackson regularly to ensure he is coping OK,” Ayoub said.
“At this stage he certainly is.
“The Players’ Association is also keeping a close eye on it and there are certainly some welfare issues at stake here.”
A RLPA spokesman said they could only act if Hastings felt he had been wrong treated.
“If a player believes they are not being treated fairly, then we will assist both the player and his agent to resolve those matters on a case-by-case basis,” the statement said.
“Our role is to continue working with the NRL to ensure all clubs are operating in accordance with the new contracting model and the integrity of the NRL rules and player contracts are protected.
“But team selection is a matter for clubs and their coaching staff, the RLPA has no role in that.”
It comes as Hastings’ former Roosters under 20s coach Braith Anasta hit out at Manly for their handling of the situation.
“Do they hate him that much that they don’t want to play a game with him when they’ve got no one to cover that position?” Anasta said on Triple M on Saturday.
“I coached Jackson in the under-20s at the Roosters. He’s different, he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I didn’t find him that bad and I don’t think he’s that bad to not be able to put into your football team.”
Anasta also questioned Manly coach Trent Barrett’s role in the Hastings fiasco.
“I think Trent has been caught out a little bit, obviously Cherry-Evans doesn’t like him, they’ve had their runs-in,” he said.
“There are senior players there who don’t like him but there are also senior players who have come out and supported him.
“If there is an element in the team that supports him he needs to be in that side.
“They’re in a shocking position.”
Anasta said he had heard of cultural problems at Manly last season. He believes Barrett’s coaching position could come under the spotlight in the coming weeks.
“If they don’t start winning games in the next few weeks even Barrett’s job is on the line,” he said.
“That’s why it’s such a big call on whether he brings Jackson Hastings into the side or not.’’
Meanwhile, the NRL match review committee has cleared Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans from eye gouging in Friday night’s match against the Newcastle Knights at Lottoland.
Cherry-Evans appeared to rake his hands across the face of Knights forward Jamie Buhrer in the final tackle of the game.
Buhrer, who is a close friend of Cherry-Evans got to his feet and started rubbing his eyes after the incident.
Footage of the incident went viral on social media after the game with expectations that Cherry-Evans would be facing a dangerous contact charge.
However, the match review committee studied the incident from several angles and decided there was insufficient evidence to refer it to the judiciary.