Jackson Hastings' heartbreaking reveal about Wests Tigers struggles

Jackson Hastings has poured his heart out about the struggles he and his Wests Tigers teammates have been going through after a season from hell in 2022.

The Tigers are rock bottom on the NRL ladder after their record-breaking 72-6 loss to the Sydney Roosters in round 23.

The 66-point mauling was the heaviest defeat in the Tigers' history.

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Morale at the club also appears to be at rock bottom, with Tigers player Fa'amanu 'Nu' Brown this week revealing the mental toll that the Roosters defeat had taken on him.

“Last weekend made me realise how hard this game is to play. Not just the physical aspect but the mental side of it too,” Nu said in a candid post on Instagram.

“It was probably the first time in a long time I felt like there were little cracks into my wellbeing and mindset. People screaming at you, you suck! Voices in my own head doubting my ability. Comments saying you’re useless.

“I cried that night because I let myself and my loved ones down. I think sometimes people forget that athletes are humans as well.”

Brown's admission is a stark reminder about how outside noise can affect a players' mindset, and Hastings says it's been tough to watch his struggling team from the sidelines.

Hastings - who was ruled out for the rest of the season after breaking a leg against the Broncos- opened up on the Fox League Podcast about his side's struggles on and off the field in 2022.

“I know what a lot of the boys have gone through this year mentally,” Hastings told the Fox League Podcast.

“We’re getting beat every week and in the media and things like that and then obviously sitting at the bottom of the ladder trying to avoid the spoon, you take your own mind away from yourself and you think about the individuals that are actually playing.

“Yes it hurts me and the fans and the people watching, but the actual impact it has when you’re on the field and how demoralising that is, it’s pretty hard to watch.”

Hastings says seeing his shattered teammates at training on the Monday after the Roosters defeat was particularly hard to take.

In a sign of his commitment to the team, the 26-year-old says he wishes he could have been out on the paddock with his teammates, in order to feel the same pain they were experiencing.

Roosters mauling leaves Tigers players 'really upset'

“Going in just seeing people really upset really hurt me,” Hastings said.

“I just wish I was out there, I would rather experience that on the field knowing I felt the pain of what my teammates are feeling rather than sitting at home because it’s easy to walk around and go ‘I wasn’t involved in that’.

“Obviously you’re a part of the club but it’s easy to go ‘well I didn’t miss a tackle’, but you know and you’ve been on the end of stuff like that before so it really, really hurt me deep down to see people you care about and have witnessed go through a lot of pain this year, go through that.”

Hastings stressed the importance of players addressing their mental health concerns and praised his teammate for having the courage to speak out on social media.

“We’ve dealt with this mental health issue for a while now, but he (Brown) just expressed himself in a way that I don’t think too many people would,” Hastings said.

“Fair play to him for showing that side of what a footballer is these days because usually you get told to harden up and move on but he expressed himself in a way that I haven’t seen before and gave fans an insight into we don’t just play to get paid, it means a hell of a lot to us and the result hurts the players.

“I feel like he spoke on behalf of everyone. He actually wrote he cried and how upset he was by losing by that far and athletes aren’t just athletes, they’re humans as well.

“Not just Nu but even the boys that weren’t playing feel like we let everyone down, it’s embarrassing for all of us, the coaching staff (too)."

The Tigers - currently bottom despite being tied on 10 points with the Gold Coast - have two games left against the Dragons and Raiders to try and avoid the wooden spoon.

Readers seeking support and information about mental health concerns can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636.

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