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Doctors told Jackson Hastings he’d be sidelined for three months after breaking his leg in an ugly-hip drop tackle last month…. But that wasn’t going to work for the Tigers playmaker.
That time frame didn’t align with Hastings’ plans of playing for England at the World Cup in October, and hopefully lining up against the man who injured him.
“I begged the doctor to put me in a moon boot and aim for 10 weeks,” Hastings told the Fox League Podcast.
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Hastings went down in agony in Round 20 after being tackled by Broncos star Patrick Carrigan.
“I was walking around the stadium at the end of the game so I didn’t actually think I’d broken my leg,” Hastings said.
“I was hoping there was something wrong because I was running around like an idiot and then when I got up and did a squat after the physio made me, I thought I might be a chance to play, but then I took a step and it wasn’t right.
“I’m pretty stubborn with things like this, I remember the moment I said 10 weeks to the doctor and he sort of looked at me like I was a bit funny and once he operated and it went well, he’s on board with it now. Well he had no option because I was going for it anyway.
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“So I’m going for 10 week and, some people might say I’m crazy or it’s unsafe but I’ve got a goal in the back of my mind that I want to achieve and usually when you put your mind to something, you get it.
“But also if I know it’s no good or I can’t run or I’m in too much pain and I couldn’t do my job then I wouldn’t put it at risk.”
Carrigan knew immediately he’d put his rival in a compromising position and was quick to check on the Tigers playmaker.
But his contrition didn’t save him from the match review committee who slapped the Maroons star with a four-week ban.
Hastings admits he was seething at first before he put things into perspective, while he also received a belated apology message from Carrigan.
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“He actually played it very smart. He’s a very intelligent guy, he left it a week and let the emotion get out of it,” Hastings said.
“I saw the tackle a million times and felt different ways about it at different stages.
“I remember that night in bed after I found out I broke my leg and I was just sitting there on my own while the boys were having a beer, I was angry and thinking why did this happen to me but then when you actually digest it you realise I’ve played 150 first grade games and never had an injury whereas some blokes have done several ACLs. You sit there and realise life isn’t too bad and I’ve actually been lucky.
“At the end of the day it was an accident, he didn’t mean it, my ankle got caught and it broke. On another day I would have rolled out of that and played the ball. To his credit he reached out and sent me a really nice message and I’ve got a lot of respect for him, I think he’s one of the best 13s in the game at the moment.
“I wished him all the best in the finals series and I told him I hope he plays for Australia at the end of the year and it was an honour to play against him, so no grudges held and I’ve got all the respect in the world for him.”
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