Cade Cust's verdict on having Jackson Hastings' shoes to fill

The comparisons between Cade Cust and the man he will directly succeed as Wigan's premiere half-back in 2022 have already started: but fortunately for Cust, he already knows plenty about what Jackson Hastings can bring to a rugby league side.

With Hastings' time in Super League over and the former Man of Steel returning to the NRL with Wests Tigers, Wigan have turned to 23-year-old Cust as the man to replace him in the halves this season. This is not the first time their names have been mentioned in the same breath, however.

Cust and Hastings were half-back partners in the New South Wales Cup for a brief period in the early stages of each others' careers, just before Hastings made the switch to Super League with Salford in 2018. It is a time Cust still remembers fondly - and knowing Hastings as he does, he insists he is well-placed to succeed the 26-year-old at the DW Stadium.

"When we were both at Manly, we played together quite a lot so I do know him, and his game, and how it all works," Cust tells Rugby League Live. "I get along with him well, and he sent me a message when I signed congratulating me and telling me to take this opportunity with both hands. He also said to enjoy playing for a club as big as this, and that's definitely in the front of my mind."

Is there pressure in succeeding Hastings and a line of legendary halves who have worn the cherry and white? "Nah, not at all - it's excitement, not pressure," he insists. "Jackson obviously went really well in Super League, and I want to make a name for myself, but if I can take the opportunity the way he did, that's the goal.

"I think we are similar players too. We both have a strong running game and I want to take a team around the park and be a real