Jackson Hastings part of big NRL swap deal with John Bateman reunion in tatters

[josie andrews]

Hastings, who won the Super League Man of Steel, is on the move after just one year.

The Knights see Hastings’ style as the perfect foil to Kalyn Ponga should he make the switch from fullback to five-eighth next season. Newcastle would field a match more threatening spine in 2023 with Hastings and Ponga in the halves and Jayden Brailey at hooker, after the latter two battled injuries last season.

The Tigers view Hastings as a lock, despite three of their four wins last season coming with him at scrum-half. The Knights have baulked at letting Klemmer, who is on $850,000 for the final year of his contract go, but are desperate to secure a halfback to steer their team around.

Newcastle have enough middle forwards in the Saifiti brothers, Jack Hetherington and Adam Elliott, which makes a player swap to fill their halfback void so appealing. The Tigers want Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks as their halves in 2023 and are also chasing Mitchell Moses to return to the club he started his NRL career with, so Hastings is on the outer.

Klemmer’s signing would be a massive boost for the Tigers’ pack after also signing Api Koroisau from Penrith and Isaiah Papali’i from the Eels, while John Bateman has been linked with a move to the wooden spooners. 28-year-old Klemmer has scored five tries in 194 NRL games for the Bulldogs and Knights as well as 14 Origins for NSW and 19 Tests for the Kangaroos.

Hastings, 26, has scored three tries in 63 games for the Roosters, Sea Eagles and Tigers, as well as 28 tries in 86 games in the Super League for Salford and Wigan.

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... dium=email

[medlocke]

There was a story out a couple weeks back saying the Hastings didn't get along with Bateman and would want a release if Bateman signed for Wests, guess it was right

[the pieman]

There was a story out a couple weeks back saying the Hastings didn't get along with Bateman and would want a release if Bateman signed for Wests, guess it was right

and, given the rumour mill added to over the weekend that the Wakey chairmon was offered Mago, but then deal pulled back as Bateman going, seems to suggest a done deal

[medlocke]

There was a story out a couple weeks back saying the Hastings didn't get along with Bateman and would want a release if Bateman signed for Wests, guess it was right

and, given the rumour mill added to over the weekend that the Wakey chairmon was offered Mago, but then deal pulled back as Bateman going, seems to suggest a done deal

Really does sound like it, just hope we can replace him with a better player

[fozzieskem]

I think if everyone is honest his comeback hasn’t been the success everyone hoped it would be,not sure when Wigan will learn that bringing players back rarely seems to work

[southportcdm]

The fact we seem to have been prepared to let Mago leave makes me think we had another prop in mind and now are perhaps looking for a backrower instead. However, letting Mago leave would have given us the chance to use the quota for whichever position we were looking at so I can't see the reasoning behind deciding to keep a player we had decided to replace. Whatever the situation with Mago we really have to make a signing to replace Bateman in some way.

[Dan2266]

The bad egg on the move again, He'll be back at Salford in 2 years.

[fozzieskem]

The bad egg on the move again, He'll be back at Salford in 2 years.

Yes it’ll pan out that way I think,every off season is the same with him..will he/won’t he..like a bad soap opera

[josie andrews]

Where has it come from that Mago is moving on??

[Mike]

Where has it come from that Mago is moving on??

One of the other threads was discussing it, and someone talked to the Wakey chairman at the Semi final who seemed to confirm it was on the table (but had been stopped since Bateman is leaving).