St Helens coach admits uncertainty over half-back plans amid Jackson Hastings' suspension - Serious About Rugby League
Serious About Rugby League · Sam Cook · 2026-08-25T13:41:24+00:00 · nguồn gốc
St Helens interim coach Eamon O’Carroll has spoken on the options he has to replace Jackson Hastings in the halves for the final three games of the season.
Hastings, who is Saints’ only healthy out-and-out half, picked up a three-match ban after Saturday’s game against Castleford Tigers, with the playmaker sent off and subsequently banned for throwing a punch at Tyler Dupree.
Whilst that did not cost Saints the game, with the Red Vee going on to win comfortably, it’s put a big dent in the club’s hopes of making the top six as they’re now without any recognised senior halves.
Tristan Sailor has been deployed at full-back of late, George Whitby is out with an ACL injury, and Jonny Lomax has not played since round 14 after fracturing his jaw, with versatile youngster Harry Robertson now seeking a playing partner.
O’Carroll spoke to the media today [Tuesday] ahead of Friday’s game at the BrewDog Stadium to assess the options available to him, admitting that he’s yet to decide on the route he will go.
“Potentially. We’ve got a couple of options that we’ll look at,” O’Carroll responded when asked if replacing Hastings will create a possible domino of other players moving positions.
“We’ve got another training session, so we’ll have a look and see what fits best. Ideally, it’d be nice not to move people around, but we understand we may have to do that and that’s probably going to be likely as well.
“One thing that I think is important is that we don’t panic. We have to be absolutely sure, I have to be absolutely sure, that whatever decision we go with is the best quality.”
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St Helens coach explains when Jonny Lomax will return
One man who hasn’t been in the squad but could parachute in directly for Hastings, if fit, is Jonny Lomax, though O’Carroll admitted that he would only return if 100% fit and ready given that the veteran had jaw surgery after the round 14 loss to Warrington.
“Just when he’s right and ready. It’s very similar to Percy,” O’Carroll said when asked about when a return for Lomax may come.
“We want to do the right thing by them. We look after the player first. Whatever comes of the game, whatever sort of decision I come up with, along with the rest of the staff, probably tomorrow, it’ll be the right one for the club and it’ll be the right one for the individuals involved.”
Whilst Hastings will not be involved on the field in the next three weeks, O’Carroll asserted that he’ll still have a big role off it.
He said: “I had that conversation with him today. He’s disappointed. He wants to be playing and he wants to be helping the team.
“I think he feels like everyone else that we’ve started to get going a little bit there.”
O’Carroll was also unable to confirm anything on Hastings’ future with the playmaker off-contract, though O’Carroll, who is leaving himself for a role in rugby union, couldn’t comment on anything beyond 2027.