- Jackson Hastings’ mother died in July
Footy star Jackson Hastings has recalled the harrowing moment he received a call every son dreads.
On the phone in July this year was his sister, who confirmed the devastating news their mother Megan had died following a heart attack.
‘You can’t even describe the emotions that sort of run through you at that point,’ Hastings said.
‘(Looking forward) knowing my daughter won’t really know her Nan hurts me the most.’
After a testing season at Newcastle this year where Hastings made just five NRL appearances, the halfback – who can also play lock – isn’t interested in heading back to the Super League in England to revive his career.
If a rival NRL club offers him an opportunity, Hastings, 29, is adamant he can be an asset.
Footy star Jackson Hastings has recalled the harrowing moment he received a call everyone son dreads
On the phone in July this year was his sister, who confirmed the devastating news their mother Megan (pictured, right) had died following a heart attack
After a testing season at Newcastle where Hastings made just five NRL appearances, the halfback is seeking an opportunity at a rival club in 2026
‘Whatever comes about, I know they’re getting a good rugby league player and a good person,’ he told News Corp.
‘I’ve played my best footy over the last couple of years and I still reckon the peak of my powers is ahead of me.
‘I just need a consistent run of being trusted and being given a role.’
Following the death of his mum Megan at just 59, Hastings has taken on the role of the family matriarch.
He will look to stay on Australian shores with his sisters, Jonte and Jorja, and raise his daughter Scottie with partner Amelia.
Hastings also had some priceless advice for the current crop of emerging NRL talent – make the most of your opportunities.
‘You see kids now, they want it all straight away,’ he said.
‘They need to know it can actually be taken away from you in a flash. The hardest part is not getting in the team, it is staying there.’
Life hasn’t been easy for Hastings – he previously opened up about his childhood, revealing he would cry himself to sleep at night because his dad was ‘never there’ (pictured, ahead of Christmas with his mum in 1997)
Nicknamed ‘Horrie’, Jackson’s father Kevin Hastings played 239 games for Easts and was known as one of the fittest rugby league players in the world
Hastings also previously opened up on the toll his footy legend father’s absence took on him as a child, revealing he would cry himself to sleep at night because his dad was ‘never there.’
His father Kevin Hastings was one of the best players in the game as he took the field for the Roosters from 1976 to 1987.
Kevin spent a lot of time in the US after retiring and wed an American woman after his marriage to Jackson’s mother failed.
‘I probably didn’t realise how tough and traumatic it was for me,’ the younger Hastings said of the pair’s estrangement on James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast.
‘I remember when it was Father’s Day at school. Everyone would bring their dad into the classroom to look at the artwork and stuff.
‘I was just sitting there on my own. Teachers would say, ‘Where’s your dad?’ He was in America doing his own thing.
‘I respect what my father did in the game, but we’re not close as father and son.
‘We don’t talk often….in real life he was never there. I had a mum who was my mum and my dad.’
