Hastings passes the praise to Lui

HE’S BEEN inundated with praise since making his Salford debut last month, but Jackson Hastings believes much of the attention should go to halfback partner Rob Lui.

Red Devils coach Ian Watson has suggested he now has the best halves pairing in the Betfred Super League – and Hastings agrees, at least when it comes to former Queensland Cowboys ace Lui.

“He’s the best halfback in the competition for me, hands down,” said the Australian, who arrived at the AJ Bell Stadium on a shortterm deal to the end of the current season.

“There are some great halfbacks in the competition, but these last three games, I haven’t seen anything like it.

“He went off with 15 minutes to go [against Widnes] and we sort of lost our way a little bit.

“I love playing with him, the raw talent that bloke has is unbelievable. He just turns up for training and pulls stuff off that I’ve never seen before.”

The victory over the Vikings was Hastings third win in three appearances and it’s the first time the club have notched up three victories in succession since May 2017. And while he has been hailed as the key component in the turnaround in form, the former Sydney Roosters and Manly Sea Eagles playmaker has a different opinion. “It’s a credit to the club and the way it is run,” he insisted. “it’s been nothing short of amazing since I arrived.”