Jackson Hastings signs for Newcastle Knights, relationship with Tim Sheens, details, report
West Tigers manager Tim Sheens is adamant there was only one reason Jackson Hastings left as the Newcastle Knights half-back prepares to face his former club.
Speaking to reporters Saturday afternoon, Sheens stressed that Hastings is part of the team’s plans for 2023 – but only if he’s ready to play in the lock position.
After Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks already considered pairing the team’s first pick halves, Sheens said the Tigers recruited Hastings to specifically wear the No. 13 sweater.
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“He didn’t want to play No. 13,” Sheens said.
“He wanted to play halves, she [the Knights] offered him an opportunity. I had planned for him to play with Klemmer. He was chosen to play #13 in our recruitment and plans for this year. But he wanted to play pivot and Newcastle gave him that chance, so that was it.
“There’s nothing else to it.”
Although a report by The Sydney Morning Herald would suggest otherwise.
The report claimed Hastings and Sheens’ relationship “deteriorated” after the then-Tigers playmaker paid for his own flight to support his teammates for their game against the Titans.
Hastings, who had been suspended for a dangerous tackle, was initially denied the opportunity to fly to the Gold Coast due to financial constraints in terms of the number of players traveling.
News Corp also reported last year that there had been suggestions from Tigers management that it could send the wrong message if other squad members who weren’t playing stayed in Sydney.
However, after a 3-0 start to the season, Hastings wanted to show his commitment to the team and manager Michael Maguire and decided to use his own money to buy a plane ticket to attend the game.
“The halfback saw it as a sign of support for his coach and teammates.” Herald’s Michael Chammas wrote this week.
“However, Sheens saw this as a complete disregard for authority. From that point on, their relationship deteriorated.”
The report of The Herald also claimed Hastings’ “true support and loyalty” to former Tigers manager Maguire also played a role in his departure from the team.
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However, when asked about that report, Sheens declined to address the rumours.
“I’m not going to comment on that,” he said.
“His football, he played well for us in 13th place, that’s where I saw him, and everything else [being reported] is long gone. I’m not interested in talking about it.”
Sheens said he was disappointed “in many ways” that Hastings had left the club.
“Because he would have made a good No. 13 behind the current pack I’m putting together,” the Tigers coach added.
“But when you say that you have to want to be there and want to play the position and I was honest with him and told him I wanted to play him there.”
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Knights manager Adam O’Brien admitted there was “a bit of trepidation” in the early stages of Newcastle’s pursuit of Hastings.
“To be honest, I had heard a lot about what people thought of Jackson, so I was a little hesitant to delve further into it in the early days,” O’Brien said The Herald.
“I’m really grateful that we met with him. It’s unfair to just listen to him. I talked less at the meeting than Jacko. If I had just listened to the narration and the sounds from outside, it would have been unfair to Jackson and the club not to meet the player. It was one meeting before he walked away and I knew he was our man.
“He didn’t catch anyone with the Tigers. He never apologized for anything that happened in the past. He was the first to admit that he’s more mature and didn’t blame anyone for anything that happened to him. And that impressed me. I didn’t want to sit with someone who’s going down the drain from where they’ve been.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2023-jackson-hastings-signing-with-newcastle-knights-relationship-with-tim-sheens-details-report/news-story/0d7572c829ad17c135bae5cbb815c63f Jackson Hastings signs for Newcastle Knights, relationship with Tim Sheens, details, report
