Twelve months ago the Roosters were happy to let go of James Maloney, throwing all their faith into young gun Jackson Hastings. Today, Hastings is faced with spending the entirety of 2017 in reserve grade with the Wyong Roos.
Following Mitchell Pearce’s eight-week suspension at the start of 2016, Hastings started the season partnering Jayden Nikorima in the halves. By the end of the season, Hastings was still partnering Nikorima – in the Rooster’s Holden Cup team. As the season raged on, the return of Mitchell Pearce, coupled with the emergence of youngsters Ryan Matterson and Connor Watson left Jackson Hastings the odd man out.
Hastings featured in every of the tricolours games except one up to Round 18 and failed to feature in first-grade from then onwards. The final eight weeks of the season saw Hastings forced to drive an hour up the M1 to play in front of a few hundred fans, a vast downfall from the packed-out Suncorp Stadium he played in front of in his last game of 2015. Instead, he’d watch young Connor Watson run out in the number six jersey he’d been assured of. Even Ryan Matterson would feature from the bench in the final eight games.
How out-of-sorts Hastings was around the club was shown in the club’s Round 22 match against Penrith, with Mitchell Pearce being ruled out with a calf injury. Instead of calling up Hastings to play halfback, head coach Trent Robinson promoted Ryan Matterson from the bench to the starting role. But the biggest slap in the face for Hastings was being overlooked for the bench spot, Robinson instead handing it to debutant Grant Garvey. Hastings instead played in the Holden Cup game beforehand.
With the signing of Luke Keary on a two-year deal, Hastings’ future at the club is well and truly clouded. The early assumption is Keary will start at five-eighth, with Connor Watson to claim the utility the role. Providing the pecking order remains the same, Matterson and Hastings will combine for Wyong, with Matterson to receive a call up to first grade before Hastings. Halves Jayden Nikorima and Mitchell Cornish are also at the club in 2017, with depth extremely rich.
St George Illawarra, where Hastings played a season of Holden Cup, were originally touted as a possible destination for the young halfback, but are instead persisting with junior halfback Drew Hutchison. Parramatta’s name was also thrown up as a possible suitor, but the club has instead preferred to re-sign Jeff Robson on a one-year deal. Even Hastings last resort in the form of the Catalans Dragons decided to go with the more experienced Luke Walsh, ensuring Hastings remains in reserve grade.
The decision to let go of James Maloney for Jackson Hastings has well and truly left egg on the face of Rooster’s officials. Hastings has already begun pre-season training and will look to move his way up the pecking order in the coming months.
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