I've got to say that I found Jackson Hastings' mooning like a love sick teenager over Salford nauseating last night. Enough already! He needs to decide which club he plays for because last night was disrespectful to this great club and it's fans.

Walking back like he'd just run over his own dog after his try was disgraceful and pushing away team mates who were trying to congratulate him was just not acceptable. He seems more concerned with remaining a few thousand Salford fan's pin-up boy than doing what's best for Wigan.

Games, especially tight games, are often won and lost by the extra 1 percents. The extra desire, the extra effort and the extra mental toughness. Last night was one such game but, unfortunately, the players showing those extra 1 percents were in Salford colours. Jackson Hastings helped facilitate this.

He said that the team "parked the bus". Well, when a bus gets parked it's usually the bus driver that does the parking and, for Wigan, the 'bus driver' is Jackson Hastings. When we went ahead he thought we were comfortable and, rather than humiliate his former team, decided that was enough. His former team, on the other hand, were happy to humiliate him. Man of Steel? I didn't see much steel in his attitude last night!

I said on another thread that we'd miss Zak Hardaker and never was this clearer than last night. There you have someone who is proud to wear the shirt. I'm sure he has a soft spot for Cas and Leeds but when he plays for us there is only one badge on his chest and that badge says Ancient and LOYAL. Hastings could do with reading it next time he pulls on the shirt.

I'm not usually one for bagging individual players and I like Hastings. However last night's attitude was a disgrace and no way to go into a top flight sporting contest. His attitude set the tone. Salford wanted it more and it showed.

He needs to work out where his LOYALties lie.

I've actually been really impressed by Hastings commitment and enthusiasm this season. Along with ZH he's been a great at getting the team going and celebrating every try. Look again at the Marshall wonder try and see who the first man in and what his reaction is.

For me there's nothing wrong with being respectful to a club that helped turn his life around. Salford, Watson and the owners played a massive part in his rehabilitation. This isn't your normal player Vs ex club thing.

Absolute e. Plenty of players don't celebrate when they score against former clubs. If he was that big a Salford fan he'd have knocked on over the line.

What was nauseating was Sky going on about it as though he's the only player to ever play against his former club but as pepper says they did help turn his life around.

I'm sorry but it's not acceptable. You're saying his commitment is fine as long as it isn't against Salford? Mate, that's just bs! What happens if we meet them in the playoffs, a final or a knockout game? Would this attitude sit ok with you then? He plays for Wigan. Mooning about like a love sick teenager for another club isn't acceptable. Commitment to the cause is everything and sets a tone. We lost last night because of it.

Sorry pal
The only BS is your post.

There's a difference between not celebrating and pushing your own players away. What the hell is wrong with you? This is good enough for Wigan now? Mate, don't complain about anything else if this is good enough for you. Be happy that Salford are getting respect.

Hey mate, as long as your happy. Enjoy the loss.

Who said I was happy?

Well apparently our main playmaker being more concerned with the opposition is ok with you so I'm assuming you must be ok with us "parking the bus".

A serious question: Do you believe that attitude and mental strength are important at this level?

It seems odd that the first game this season in which we see very little of Jackson Hastings is during his return to Salford.

But let's be honest, he wasn't the only one who went missing.

It was a poop show all round.

Pushing his own players away?

Is that worse than beating three Salford players on his way to score?

Apart from Havard and Farrell not a lot to like particularly in the 2nd half
2 losses from 3 away games and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that trend continue

Let's ignore that bit though

Again, plenty of players push their team mates away. The point is he still scored. I don't really care what he does after that.

I've since hundreds of players in all sports do a similar thing, all of them are playing the game at an infinitely higher level than the likes of you and me ever will.

Now I'm going to be quite specific here so instead of of throwing headline grabbing statements out because your upset we lost and looking for someone to blame, try and answer them.

In what way did Hastings reaction after scoring affect anything about our performance when after 58mins or so we were still 14-2 up and should have been further.

When Powell scores hes 3rd man in celebrating

How did he alone specifically "Park the Bus"?
Is that not a team thing, a coaching thing?


Did every other Wigan player at 58mins turn round and say you know what, hastings not celebrating 40 minutes ago really peed me off so I'm going to miss one on tackles (harry smith) and basically lose all cohesion/shape etc.

Yes I do believe mental strength as a massive part to play, but just saying it and the aiming it at one thing and making it a direct correlation without any FACTS to support it doesnt make it correct.

Your braised off, trust me so am I, but hastings showing respect (I think that's how an earlier poster put it) and at the end of the game, when nothing else can be done etc showing respect to the Salford fans etc who he clearly has time for and understandably, had no bearing on his desire to win that game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HQhV3ujyg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8HQhV3ujyg

In fact
How did you like our coach laughing and joking with the Salford coach immediately after the game?

That's exactly the point. Showing respect AFTER the game would have been fine. Showing it during is not. I'll take you back to something Tyson once said which was that he had opponents beaten before they stepped into the ring. You can't go into games with anything less than an 100% attitude or you'll come unstuck. That's what Hastings did yesterday. Do you think you can just turn it off and on at will? We've seen numerous times that you go into a game with the wrong attitude and it has a snowball effect. Our attitude was wrong across the board yesterday and it certainly wasn't helped by our main playmaker's 'respect' for his former team.

I'll answer your questions.

Any and all reactions have an effect on a rugby field. You can't pick and choose which matter. We were still 14-2 up but would you say we put our foot on their throat during that first half? The attitude you have dictates the way you play. But here's the real point. Don't specifically relate it to the first half where you can find an argument to support your view. Relate it to the whole game and,in particular,the second half. Does your assertion still hold true? I would say not.

So patting Powell on the head negates interviews, pre meditated statemens that he won't celebrate if he scores, ignoring his own players when they come to celebrate his try and an all round deference to Salford? Have a word with yourself!

What does 'park the bus' even mean? Perhaps you'd better ask Hastings himselfas your now arguing with him.

Lastly, attitude is cumulative. Do I think him not celebrating is alone responsible for our loss? Of course not. But if no individual action is ever responsible for the outcome of a game then all those individual actions don't matter, do they? Of course,, we both know that isn't true. In top level sport all actions contribute to the whole. The team can win or lose by one person's attitude as it filters through the team. We've seen it often enough in a positive sense from Lockers or when Barrett pulled the 30-31 rabbit out of the hat for example. We've also seen it many times in the negative sense (the difference between the Noble and Madge versions of basically the same team for example or, even more telling, the Millward version of it).

Attitude is everything in top flight sport. I can't believe for a moment that you think any different.

Exactly!

Speaking to the Daily Mail in 2012, he said: “I just felt depressed, and that wasn’t like me. After 19 years of trying my hardest to score goals, here was one that I almost wished hadn’t actually gone in. I was inconsolable. I didn’t want it to happen.


“How long did the feeling last? How long ago was the game? Thirty-odd years. There is your answer.

“The subject always crops up. It’s one of those things. It’s always there and I am always remembered for it.

“That’s a shame.”

I'm not sure that's the same, mate. As you say that was after the game. It didn't sit well in truth anyway but would have been infinitely worse had it happened during the game.

So what was is attitude when he scored? If what you are saying is true surely he wouldn't have scored the try in the first place?

Eh? He has just scored the goal that relegated the club at which he was a legend and did it in the colours of their rivals. Who gives a toss if he celebrates. His job was to score and he did.

He regretted it for the rest of his life. It was the wrong attitude. Read what he says.. it's written above! Moreover he was substituted moments after because of it. It exemplifies what I'm saying in a nutshell.

(For the record he didn't relegate them. That's a myth)

Typed a reply and phone went dead (not surprisingly) before I hit submit.
Cant be bothered rewriting it all but I'll keep it short

If you believe 100% attitude is everything the you cant pick and choose what does an doesnt count.
Lam Joking with Watson at the end of the match, that's a sign that he doesnt want to win 100%, that will have an effect on the next game and more than likely he will have shown those traits in training and at precious games so that will have an effect on that.game and the whole club.
Any messing about in training, any messing about in the stands laughing at something they're looking at on their phones (hint) or any other kind of messing about I.e. at training or even when sat at home having a sneaky chocolate bar or beer and not being or having 100% attitide has an effect.

To provide a single example of a player who in I think most peoples opinions was just showing respect and use it as some kind of bench mark for any loss or perceived problem at Wigan is IMO just ridiculous.

Tou carry on blaming Hastings
I'll look at why weve not played well nor tha 4 times in 40 plus games (90% of which Hastings wasnt here for).

So he did his job, didnt like that it contributed to their downfall, what should he have done? Not played?

What should Hastings have done last night?
Jumped up and down like a school boy to show how much he wants to win?
He still scored the try
He still would have felt sorry that it was against a precious employer and their fans that he has respect for.

Should he have not played?
Surely that would show he has a weakness

If he does or doesnt play in that scenario he has a weakness that can never be fixed so get rid.