Hastings staying in England, but it may not be with Salford
AUSTRALIAN half-back Jackson Hastings will spend at least another 12 months in England as he continues to mend his reputation – and will reveal his destination within days.
The 22-year-old Salford playmaker is just two months into his Super League career but is already a fans favourite after helping the Red Devils to wins in each of his first five matches to breathe new life into their season.
His run was halted by a two-match ban imposed for a high tackle and Salford suffered potentially disastrous back-to-back defeats in his absence, but he will be back for their must-win game against Toulouse in the final round of the Qualifiers tomorrow night.
Hastings was picked up by Salford after being axed by Manly Sea Eagles for a litany of alleged misbehaviour, and he is grateful for the chance to rebuild his career, even if it is 12,000 miles from home.
“At the moment, I’ve got no choice because of the situation that I found myself in back home,” he said.
“It’s not an overnight fix, I’ve got to prove myself again and prove to people that I’m a good person.
“A lot of things that got reported over there were very untrue and off the mark.
“I was in a pretty bad place. I wasn’t even allowed to go to training.
“I was part-time and spent four nights a week driving an hour-and-a-half to start training at seven o’clock at night.
“Obviously there’s a lot of people in a worse spot than I was but, from where I’d come to there was a tough graft and something I had to get my head around.
“Coming over here and being back full-time, I’m really enjoying it.
“I want to go home eventually, I’ve got some unfinished business in the NRL and a lot of people to prove things to.
“But I’ll be here in England next year. I’ve just got to keep playing well and, hopefully, get my chance to go back home and start again.”
Hastings’ impressive form is thought to have alerted other suitors including Wigan.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” he said. “There’s things in place. My mind is pretty much made up but there’s a few obstacles I’ve got to get over yet.
“I could be playing two weeks in a row still. It’s pretty hard to make a decision when you’re in this situation but I’m definitely getting closer to knowing where I’ll be next year.”
Meanwhile, Salford have suffered an injury blow ahead of tomorrow’s game at the AJ Bell Stadium with goalkicking centre Ed