Joey plots Ponga move after Hastings signing

1 year ago 62

Legendary halfback Andrew Johns says Jackson Hastings could beryllium the cardinal to unlocking Kalyn Ponga's tremendous imaginable arsenic a top-line NRL five-eighth.

Hastings, 26, was announced arsenic Newcastle's latest signing connected Wednesday, moving up the road successful a subordinate swap with David Klemmer.

While helium has ne'er been the first-choice No.7 astatine immoderate of his 3 erstwhile NRL clubs, Hastings volition beryllium frontrunner to commencement astatine halfback erstwhile the Knights unfastened their 2023 season, according to Johns.

Hastings was the halfback astatine Salford successful 2019 and won the Super League's Man of Steel grant arsenic the champion subordinate successful the competition.

"I deliberation it's a large buy, a truly bully buy. I worked with Jackson years agone erstwhile I was astatine the Roosters, and helium had truthful overmuch talent," Johns told Wide World of Sports.

"He went to England and sharpened up his trade. I watched from afar what helium did astatine Salford, the mode helium played there, and evidently getting the Man of Steel.

"I'm pumped for him to travel to Newcastle. It helps our club, it helps our team. He's an on-ball player, he's an out-and-out organising No.7."

With Hastings taking ownership of the No.7 jersey successful the Hunter, Johns wants to spot Ponga marque the determination from fullback to five-eighth.

The 24-year-old superstar has been preparing for the transition, and opted to marque himself unavailable for the Rugby League World Cup truthful helium could statesman pre-season grooming with the Knights early.

Ponga started the 2019 play successful the No.6 jersey, but the experimentation was rapidly abandoned by then-coach Nathan Brown.

Billy praises Hastings for Tigers turnaround

Johns believes the clip is close for the power to happen, and the accomplishment of Hastings gives the Knights a perchance elite halves pairing.

"(Hastings) is an on-ball old-fashioned halfback who conscionable follows the shot and gets his hands connected the shot arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, which past frees up Kalyn to spell anyplace and play, look for opportunities and pass to Jackson to get the shot disconnected him," Johns said.

"I cognize Kalyn volition beryllium 1 of the champion attacking five-eighths successful the world. I've done bits and pieces with him. Last Friday I was up there... he's conscionable each class.

"The different broadside of the crippled is going to beryllium the test, the antiaircraft broadside of things. Attack-wise helium is without peer.

"We saw what helium did successful Origin III. He's conscionable got truthful overmuch talent.

"Fitness omniscient helium looks truly good, and mentally helium truly wants to marque a constituent and win astatine five-eighth, truthful it's bully signs."

Hastings was an Illawarra inferior but began his NRL vocation astatine the Roosters, wherever helium played 34 games successful 3 seasons earlier jumping to Manly successful 2017.

He near the Sea Eagles successful contention successful mid-2018 erstwhile helium got into an altercation with nine skipper Daly Cherry-Evans during a squad trip.

He fled to England wherever helium salvaged his vocation implicit 3 palmy Super League seasons, and returned to Australia this twelvemonth to play for the Tigers, with whom helium recovered immoderate mid-season signifier but was past unwanted by incoming manager Tim Sheens.

"He's coming into the existent abdominous play of his career, this is erstwhile you marque your bequest arsenic a halfback," Johns said of Hastings.

"He's got the adjacent five, six, 7 years to truly enactment his bequest retired there, and if helium gets occurrence astatine Newcastle his bequest volition unrecorded connected astatine Newcastle.

"It's exciting, it's truly exciting."

The Knights statesman their 2023 play against the Warriors connected March 3.

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