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Hastings accepts blame for Manly exit

Former Manly playmaker Jackson Hastings says he's to blame for his exit from the NRL club earlier this year as a result of the Gladstone strip club incident.

Jackson Hastings has denied falling out with Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans and has accepted the blame for his inglorious exit from the NRL club.

Hastings is plying his trade in the English Super League with Salford after being ushered out the door at the Sea Eagles following the club's infamous Gladstone strip club incident earlier this year.

The once highly-touted playmaker was told he would toil away in reserve grade for the rest of his contract after reportedly falling out with teammates.

He was on the outer with the management after breaking curfew and visiting a strip club before being involved in a hotel room altercation with Cherry-Evans.

But rather than blame his former teammates, after it was reported they told Barrett they didn't want to play alongside him, Hastings said he alone was responsible for his downfall.

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"The worst thing I did was break curfew, I look back on it, it was just so stupid," Hastings told the Locker Room podcast.

"I wouldn't be sitting here talking about it if I didn't f****** go out and break curfew, it just p***** me off I made such a dumb decision.

"That's the thing that p***** me off the most. I can cop the media saying he made this bad decision. That's fair enough, that's their job.

"But looking back I just can't believe I broke curfew. I was playing well too off the bench, I was getting half-decent minutes, I felt like I was working my way into first-grade."

Hastings, the son of Sydney Roosters great Kevin, denied coming to blows with Cherry-Evans and said he patched it up with his former halves partner the morning after.

"The arguments that followed didn't help the situation," Hastings said.

"The next day (Cherry-Evans and Hastings) spoke about it, we shook hands and got on with it. We thought we were just going to get on with playing footy.

"The thing is he's gone on and played Origin, he's been vice-captain of Australia, which he thoroughly deserves. People on twitter are tagging me going 'you'd hate that'.

"No I don't hate that, I'm not angry at him, I'm not angry at anyone, I'm angry at myself for making such a s*** decision."


3 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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