Jackson Hastings suffers devastating blow

Former Wigan Warriors and Salford Red Devils star Jackson Hastings has suffered a devastating injury blow.

The halfback came to Super League in 2018 with the Red Devils fending off relegation before winning the Man of Steel in 2019 and guiding the club to a shock Grand Final prior to joining Wigan Warriors where he would help the club reach the Grand Final in 2020.

In 2022 he joined Wests Tigers in a move that didn’t work out for him but a switch to Newcastle Knights has gone brilliantly until now.

The halfback has now suffered a recurrence of a leg injury.

The club made the following statement:

“Scans today have confirmed nib Newcastle Knights halfback Jackson Hastings has a low-grade syndesmosis injury in the same leg that ended his 2022 season.

“In good news, the previous surgery has ensured the damage was minimal and Hastings will be assessed on a day-to-day basis.

“Hastings has commenced treatment this morning, with a positive attitude to return to the field, including the potential of playing this weekend against the Rabbitohs.”

This is the opposite to former Super League star Luke Thompson who has recently returned from injury.

“I could never write the year off,” Thompson said to the Daily Telegraph.

“Not playing this year never entered my mind. All year I’ve been trying to get back as soon as I could. My main focus was to get back and help the lads.

“It has taken longer than I hoped but it’ll be good to get back out there.

“I was back in the gym a week after surgery. You can’t train on your feet but you can do other stuff. I kept sitting in the team video sessions because I had to keep footy on my mind.

“Because as soon as I was ready to come back I had to be ready to go. It took longer than expected but all the hard work is going to pay off.”

Asked about his future, Thompson said: “It’s a bit of a unique situation. I missed the back-end of last year and then played a World Cup. I came in ready for a big season and then I got injured.

“I know my values and what I bring to a club and team. For me it’s reminding people because I have not been there for a quite a while now. Injury can make you better or define you. I always have mindset to get it right.”

Last week Thompson made a return to the reserves:

“I felt really good,” Thompson said. “The foot felt good and my lungs were better than I expected. It gave me a lot of confidence. Straight away I could feel that everything I’d done was starting to pay me back.”