LOMANCE IS GRAND
Rivals enjoy final love-in
JACKSON HASTINGS isn’t worried about swapping shirts at Old Trafford on Saturday – he just wants Jonny Lomax’s headguard.
The playmakers have been in touch this week after Hastings astings labelled Lomax “the best est player in Super League” ” after Salford’s play-off ff win over Castleford.
Hastings has since been crowned Man of f Steel and revealed that St t Helens stand-off Lomax, 29
(inset) had messaged him ahead of the ceremony.
Hastings, 23, said: “He reached out and gave me a message after the compliment I gave him on Sky and he didn’t need to do that.
“He said thanks and good luck for the Man of Steel, and I’ll shake his hand on Saturday regardless of the score.
“I was just saying what I truly believed.
“We get a chance to go up against the best players in the league and he’s right at the top.
“We play a similar position so to get to test myself against Jonny will be a true honour and I’ll be looking for his headgear after the game so I can have it for the mantelpiece.
“He’s a credit to the sport – he’s a humble guy and I could tell that before meeting him.
“He’s got a lot of respect in the game, he’s very well regarded by not only opposition players but his own team-mates.”
Lomax feels Hastings deserves all the accolades that have come his way after helping to steer the Red Devils to an unlikely Grand Final place.
He said: “He’s a worthy winner of the M Man of Steel tag – he’s bee been phenomenal. His st stats back that up.
“I think it could also be a bit of a deflection from himself – there’s a lo lot of spotlight on him fo for the right reasons bec because he has been so good this th year and has killed it. “That adds pressure when you are the talisman he’s been for that club this year – maybe it was a clever tactic by him!
“I said thanks, told him it means a lot and said if it was a players’ vote he’d have got my vote.
“You can’t speak highly enough of the way he’s played this year.”