Apr 22nd, 2018

Apr 22nd, 2018

The family of Jackson Hastings is considering taking action against Manly to clear the ostracised youngster’s name.

Hastings has been front and back page news all week since Manly declared he was offside with the rest of the playing group and would not play in the top grade again this season.

The son of Roosters great Kevin Hastings played for Manly’s feeder club Blacktown in the NSW Cup on Saturday - and is destined to stay there unless another club signs him.

Manly are trying to force him out - but rival clubs are steering clear of Hastings in the wake of the drama - fearing he could be ‘poisonous’.

Hastings unlikely to play again for Manly

And it is that perception that Hastings’ family wants to correct, with evidence that he is not as disliked by team-mates as Manly want the public to believe.

“His name has been blackened for all time,” a source close to Hastings told WWOS.

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“There is no way any other club will touch him now.

“We want to clear his name and it seems the only way we can do that is by launching legal action against Manly.

(AAP)

Manly's Jackson Hastings is struggling with the fallout of his spat with Daly Cherry-Evans. (AAP)

”It’s disgusting what they have done to him - he’s just a young guy and he is really struggling with it all.”

Hastings has been lying low since the story exploded but team-mates have rallied to his defence.

Fearing reprisals from the club, players were reluctant to comment publicly but were happy to support Hastings anonymously.

“The guy has a few anger issues but he is not as disliked as the club wants people to think,” one player said.

While another added: “He and I have had words a few times but that happens in football.

NRL Press Conference: Manly Sea Eagles – Round 7

“I certainly never said I wouldn’t play with him again.”

Early in the week, Manly coach Trent Barrett fronted the media when reports stated the players had black-balled Hastings.

“This is an issue we tried to fix and I wish it hadn’t come to this, but it has,” Barrett said. “It is certainly isn’t a one-off incident.

“We have pretty much documented a lot of things over the past 12 months.”

Since then, Sea Eagles skipper Daly Cherry-Evans was fined $10,000 for an incident involving Hastings and the team, clearly affected by the drama, were awful in getting thrashed by Parramatta yesterday.

Hastings spoke to The Sunday Telegraph yesterday, declining to criticise the club and declaring he wants to be ‘a better person’.