Hastings may be a good player, but I would not rely on any loyalty from him about staying at the club in the long term!

Any better offer, especially from the NRL or Union and he will be off like a rocket.

Let’s be fair Ruddy, he came over to SL with the intention of rebuilding his career and going back to the NRL. And to be perfectly honest good on him, I hope it works out.

His performances have been superb so far and you can tell by his actions on and off the pitch he is totally dedicated to Wigan (for whatever 2020 has left of it anyway). If he chooses to move on then that’s his prerogative and good luck to him.

Equally if Bevan French’s performances keep up he’ll be off back to the NRL, is he disloyal too?

I think it's considerably less likely that NRL clubs would want French. No-one moved for him when he was at Parra. Hastings, otoh, clearly had ability but also had a bad rep as a trouble-maker. He has knuckled down in England and sorted that out, so Aussie clubs may well renew interest.

If he was any good we wouldn't have signed Hastings and he wouldn't be playing for a second rate team

I agree less likely but being realistic, he came over here wanting to build a reputation to go back to the NRL (though he has never explicitly said so).

So you've just made it up then?

I’ve gone off past players who have come over from the NRL after struggling for game time and then use the SL as a platform to show what they can do before being signed back to the NRL based on SL form. I’m not having a dig at him, far from it.

You can stop being condescending now

He wasn't wanted in the NRL for his off field stuff. If he shows he has cleaned that up he'll be back in 2 years. Similar to Jamie Lyon really although not in the same league quality wise.

Oi !!!

Leave me out of this.

Video on twitter of him doing an interview about returning to the NRL. Essentially confirms he’s actively looking to head back there, can’t blame him. If the season is called off we won’t see him in a Wigan shirt again I suspect

Bevan French is also back in Aus. I don't blame anyone who has their family out there for returning home in these difficult times.

Except that he wasn't quite as keen to talk about going elsewhere when he was at Salford.

Thanks to several top notch performances, I'd just about forgiven his close-season antics ... and then the Salford game came along and he was mooning about the pitch like a lovesick bull calf. Excuse-makers drew fond comparisons with Denis Law, but Law was at United for over ten years and Hastings at Salford for less than two.

Now we've got this.

I know that players are professionals and need to look after themselves, but when they pick and choose their loyalty as selectively as Hastings seems to, it's as good as a V-sign to the fans.

He's a good player but it's very difficult actually liking the guy.

The same guy who at every home game has still been taking pictures 20 to 25 minutes after the final whistle? The same guy who gave away his two seats to the Huddersfield away game to Wigan fans? The same guy who gave a young Wigan fan the chance to walk out with him at a game and then gave them his shirt?

We can only react to what we see, bud.

At present, he's openly courting clubs in the NRL.

I wouldn't blame him for that if he knows something we don't about the 2020 season already being over. But at present, it's adding insult to injury.

Or what we want to see

He’s extremely likeable IMO. He is generous and down to earth. In this current climate and given he hasn’t ever hidden his desire to go back to the NRL; can you really blame him for looking for a way back? I’d want to be closer to my family as well to be totally honest.

I get what you’re saying but I don’t agree with you one iota

Fair enough.

But still no explanations are being offered for why he wouldn't talk to the Wigan press when he was at Salford, but will talk to the NRL press now he's at Wigan.

Seems odd to me. And doesn't bode well.

Yeah, sure. I want him to disrespect us.

Where has he disrespected us?

I've mentioned it already.

Look ... let's leave it, eh?

We obviously disagree on this, but it's hardly worth arguing about.

He has a clause in his contract that says he can go back to the NRL. With what is going on he has admitted he wants to be closer to his family and considered going home. I don't blame him for trying to make that happen.

If he becomes a shadow of his former self once he signs like Barba did at Saints or like several players we have had over the years then fair enough, but I doubt he will.

Fair point. Can’t come back with anything to that

if he wants to go home then let him go (I wouldn't blame him) . We haven't had him long enough to say that we'll miss him

He's tweeted this afternoon:

I can't see Hastings going anywhere just yet. The NRL is in a far worse financial state than SL, talk of reducing the teams from 16 to 14 next season. That's sixty players with no club.