NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 20: Jackson Hastings of the Wests Tigers is tackled during the round two NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the Wests Tigers at McDonald Jones Stadium, on March 20, 2022, in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
David Klemmer and Jackson Hastings are almost certain to be involved in a player swap deal before the start of the 2023 NRL season.
First reported over the weekend, it now appears that the deal could be completed before pre-season training really ramps up at either club, with both the incoming Tim Sheens and under pressure Adam O’Brien looking to turn around the fortunes of their struggling clubs.
Channel 9s Danny Weidler is now reporting that the deal is all but done.
LATEST: Jackson Hastings has agreed to a three year with Knights. He will start with the club within a week. David Klemmer is joining the Tigers. All parties are in the final stages of making the deal official @9NewsSyd @NRLonNine
— Danny Weidler (@Danny_Weidler) November 14, 2022
The Knights have been in pursuit of Luke Brooks for the best part of 12 months, having made numerous advances.
The Tigers have repeatedly blocked any chance of Brooks leaving the joint venture though, despite his long-term struggles which have turned him into the NRL’s longest-tenured player without a single finals appearance.
The Knights have seemingly given up on their pursuit of Brooks, with the Tigers even confirming late in the 2022 season that preliminary discussions had opened with Brooks and his management over what a new deal could look like to tie him to Concord beyond the end of 2023.
Hastings, on the other hand, arrived at the Tigers ahead of 2022 and immediately became one of the struggling club’s best players, starting the year in the halves before spending time at lock forward.
He is in a three-way battle for minutes in the six and seven with Adam Doueihi and Brooks at the club, meaning the Tigers are seemingly electing to move on Hastings for 2023 to avoid the stoush that would follow, although their depth is now skinny with Jock Madden also having departed to the Brisbane Broncos.
Another factor of course could be the reports linking the Tigers to English star John Bateman, who reportedly won’t play with Hastings.
The Knights, who are desperate to reshape their spine, have also had issues with David Klemmer.
He was linked with a departure from the club on the final day of the trade deadline period this year and is off-contract at the end of next year.
The size of his contract would make him a viable option to move on for the Knights, who have been attempting to place more responsibility on Daniel and Jacob Saifiti in recent times.
Klemmer moving to the Tigers would also aid the joint venture, who have lost James Tamou and Zane Musgrove out of their forward pack at the end of 2022 and are in dire need of a leader in the middle third.
Source:: ZeroTackle
