Recalling Hastings would be ‘unfair’: Knights coach
Jasper Bruce |
Adam O’Brien feels it would be unfair to recall Jackson Hastings and expect the out-of-favour NRL halfback to remedy Newcastle’s poor start to the year.
Hastings is being paid around $800,000 to play NSW Cup this year, watching on as the Knights endure a five-game losing streak that threatens to unravel their season.
Saturday’s Magic Round clash with undermanned South Sydney is crucial as the Knights look to kickstart their sputtering attack, which has averaged only 7.2 points on their five-game slide.
Sixth-year coach O’Brien oversaw a seven-game losing streak in 2022 so is remaining calm.
“We’ve been here before,” he said.
“We haven’t got the result (yet) but you can see that it’s not through lack of effort.”
Despite their attacking struggles, the Knights have again named former outside back Fletcher Sharpe as five-eighth opposite halfback Jack Cogger.
Hastings was halfback when the Knights stormed to a fifth-placed finish in 2023, their best ladder position to end a season since Andrew Johns was wearing the No.7.
But the 29-year-old has since been rumoured as being at the centre of a divide within the Knights playing group.
O’Brien opted against addressing those reports on Friday morning but defended his call to keep Hastings in reserve grade during the last year of his contract.
“The problems that I highlighted (with the players) or the areas of improvement, I think it would be unfair on Jackson to think that he’s the one that can come in and fix all of those things,” he said.
“There’s a number of other variables and I’m comfortable with stick with the crew that we’ve had at the moment.”
O’Brien faced criticism for constantly rejigging his halves combination last season. The Knights did not name the same pairing for more than four consecutive games at any point as they finished eighth on the ladder.
He noted that the tables had now turned.
“There was a fair bit of talk last year that I chopped and changed and now there’s probably a bit of talk that I’m not chopping and changing. It’s hard to please,” he said.
South Sydney have pulled the trigger on a personnel change of their own as English recruit Lewis Dodd prepares for his first start in the halves after two games from the bench.
Dodd had been tipped as starting material in the pre-season but it has taken two months and a slew of South Sydney injuries for him to be called up.
“He’s getting paid well to wait, so it’s not a problem,” said Bennett, who promoted Dodd after would-be five-eighth Jack Wighton suffered a calf injury.
“I’ve got no idea (how he’ll play). I’ve got a little bit of an idea, I just don’t want to share it with you.
“Let’s let him play tomorrow, and we’ll all be better judges. We haven’t seen a lot of him.”
Prop forward Junior Tatola will captain Souths this weekend ahead of Jai Arrow, the last fit member of the leadership group.
AAP
