Incoming Rabbitohs coach Wayne Bennett has reportedly made a call on the proposed player swap involving playmakers Jackson Hastings and Lachlan Ilias from the Knights and Rabbitohs.
Once touted as the future of the Rabbitohs, Lachlan Ilias had had an unfortunate 12 months that saw him axed to the NSW Cup by former coach Jason Demetriou and suffer a broken leg while playing in reserve-grade.
He would then be subsequently granted permission to negotiate with rival clubs following the arrival of Lewis Dodd from St Helens RLFC for next season - Josh Schuster also looms as a potential halves option for 2025.
While reports emerged over the weekend linking Hastings with a potential move to the Rabbitohs and Ilias going the other way, Wayne Bennett has since shut these rumours down, per News Corp.
As reported by the publication, the conversations between the two teams have broken down, and Bennett made it clear to the Greek international that he still has a future at the club.
Previously linked with a move to the Canterbury Bulldogs, Ilias, 24, has yet to live up to his potential since his debut in 2021 but has shown glimpses of brilliance and has shown that he is an incredibly strong defender.
On the other hand, Hastings has been linked with an exit from the Knights as early as July after finding himself playing lock in the NSW Cup.
Starting the year as the club's primary halfback, the $800,000-a-season player fell down the pecking order in favour of Tyson Gamble, Phoenix Crossland, Jack Cogger and Will Pryce.
Contracted until the end of next season, there have been continuous reports linking with him an exit and a return overseas to the Super League, where he won the Man of Steel award in 2020 - the competition's equivalent to the Dally M Medal.
It is understood that the Knights were also willing to contribute to his salary if he could find a new club for the 2025 season.
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However, Hastings went on to deny these rumours and insisted that he would remain at Newcastle until his contract expires at the end of the 2025 NRL season.
“No, I've obviously got a contract next year,” Hastings said via Sky Sports.
“I've not spoken to anyone in the Super League. There's a few clubs I'm rumoured to be coming back to.
“At the moment I'm really enjoying my life in Australia and hopefully I'll stay there as long as possible and you never know, come back here one day and get to play in stadiums like this.
“I really enjoyed my time here but it's ran its race. I'm back in Australia with family I'm really happy but who knows, maybe back one day I'll be playing here in a game like this.”
The Knights are currently rebuilding their roster, and Hastings' departure would free up even more space in their salary cap following the departures of David Armstrong and Daniel Saifiti.
Several other players, including Leo Thompson, Jayden Brailey, Adam Elliott, Tyson Frizell, Jack Hetherington, Brodie Jones and Dane Gagai, have also been linked with leaving the team.
