The bruises on Jackson Hastings’s body after another brutal training session are easily noticeable as he sits down to discuss a rollercoaster 12 months but it is perhaps the battle scars nobody sees – the emotional ones – which have made the 23-year-old the player and the man he is today.
“I couldn’t escape … my grandad has got all the clippings of me in the newspapers; for over 20 days in a row, I was on the back pages,” Hastings says when asked to describe how he coped with the problems that meant he was kicked out of the NRL last year. Hastings had been tipped for greatness from a young age but following allegations of a bust-up with his Kangaroos and Manly teammate Daly Cherry-Evans he was released by the Sea Eagles.
“I don’t know how I coped,” he says. “I knew how savage the Australian press could be; this one was next level. I ended up not leaving my house and, to be honest, I thought my career was over.”
Yet it is to Hastings’s credit that he has gone from NRL bad boy to a player who has earned praise for his exploits on and off the field in England over the past nine months.
Without an opportunity to resurrect his career in Australia, Hastings took a chance on a place he admits he never knew existed before flying 12,000 miles around the world: Salford. It has proved a masterstroke for both player and club.
“They saved my rugby career,” he says. “I’d have had to go get an ordinary job because nobody wanted me in the NRL. Everyone thought I was trouble but Salford gave me a chance and, when I arrived, I wanted to make a good impression on the place. I wanted to be remembered for the right reasons and be the best ambassador for the club I could be. They’ve looked after me and I’m not only grateful for the chance to play again but for the way they’ve treated me as a person.”
Hastings instantly became a fan favourite after signing last summer. On the field he played a pivotal role in guiding Salford to Super League safety but off it he was arguably just as popular: visiting fans’ houses, giving away free tickets and embedding himself firmly in the community.
“People always judged me at home but here it’s different,” he says. “Everyone had this predefined image of me being a troublemaker but on my debut the fans were cheering me. I’ve only ever been booed before. I went over to show them I appreciated it and they mobbed me. It’s what you dream of as a kid. I know I’m loved here and it’s a very special feeling. I hope they know I appreciate it.”
That relationship is the reason why Hastings is still at Salford. His form last season meant there was no shortage of interest from English clubs when his initial short-term deal with the Red Devils came to an end, including from Sunday’s opponents, Wigan.
“They came up with a serious offer and I tossed and turned about it,” he says. “To play for a club like Wigan would have been special but in the end no other club mattered. I want to be remembered for the right reasons at Salford and I wouldn’t have a career if it was not for them, so it was straightforward enough to commit.”
His decision to snub Wigan and re-sign at Salford appears a shrewd one. Salford were fourth going into this weekend’s games while the reigning champions were joint‑bottom with one win from six. Can Hastings and Salford, tipped by many to struggle this year, continue their impressive early‑season form and last the distance in Super League?
“We can go as far as we want to go,” Hastings says. “I know it’s a long year but we’ve started well. The togetherness this club has holds us in good stead. The players, the fans, everyone here, it added together in me deciding to stay. I had more financially lucrative deals but they saved my career. I wanted to repay them.”
