- Prop is one of a host of Roosters retiring or moving on
- Has played 316 NRL matches over a 15 year period
- Was shown huge mark of respect by rival team
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has been the man Melbourne Storm fans love to hate over the years, but the players and coaching staff have shown the retiring Roosters big man the ultimate respect.
Waerea-Hargreaves played his 316th and final NRL match in Friday’s preliminary final against the Storm at AAMI Park, calling time on 15 years as the game’s premier prop.
He has not been everyone’s cup of tea in that time, sin-binned nine times in the last four season alone and three times in 2024.
That included a brutal showdown against the Storm in 2022 – the last time the Roosters beat Melbourne – where Waerea-Hargreaves was unstoppable and completely outplayed man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Those two have collided on numerous occasions and have also lined up together in a fearsome New Zealand forward pack.
So when the time finally came for Waerea-Hargreaves to call it a day, the Storm players along with staff and coach Craig Bellamy decided to pay him the ultimate respect.
They joined the Sydney Roosters guard of honour for the big man and warmly applauded him for everything he has given the NRL over 15 years of blood, sweat and tears.
It was an act that left many footy fans impressed.
‘From a Roosters fan, was a great show of respect by the Storm,’ a rival fan posted.
‘Was great to see that is what the game is all about players getting together after a hard fought game. Congratulations to both teams you both have respect for the game,’ another commented.
‘Just shows what the culture is like at the Storm,’ a Melbourne fan said.
‘Great show of respect for the opposition,’ posted another.
‘True sportsmanship well done. Now on to the grand final,’ added yet another.
It will be a changing of the guard at the Roosters, with Waerea-Hargreaves spearheading a group of highly talented players either retiring or moving on.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson lauded his departing stars as among the most influential players in Sydney Roosters history, as the Tricolours confirm they will lose almost 1300 NRL games of experience for next year.
One of the premiership favourites at the start of the season before injuries and a poor record against fellow heavyweights took their toll, the Roosters were dumped out of the finals by the Storm on Friday.
Battered from the opening tackle, when Lindsay Collins was knocked out by a Nelson Asofa-Solomona high shot, the Roosters were gutsy to fight back to 24-18 down early in the second half.
But ultimately their defence cost them in the same way it has for much of this season, as the Storm racked up 48 points in the preliminary-final win at AAMI Park.
The loss marked the end of the road for the most-capped Rooster in history in Waerea-Hargreaves, along with the club’s two-time premiership-winning five-eighth Luke Keary.
Joey Manu and Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii are also bound for rugby, but could one day return later in their careers.
Sitili Tupouniua will head to Canterbury, while Robinson also confirmed the off-contract Dylan Napa and Michael Jennings would leave the club for a second time.
In total, the the seven players account for 1279 matches experience.
‘There’s guys that have impacted the club in the right way as much as any guys over the course of 116 years,’ Robinson said of the departing crew.
‘Jared, Joey Manu, Kez (Luke Keary), Sitili, Suaalii and then Naps and Jenko back at home as well.
‘Those guys have had a big impact on the history of our club and jersey. We’re really proud of where our club is.
‘(They are) some guys who put a lot of heart and soul into our jersey and our club. We feel really proud about the time they’ve had with us.’
Waerea-Hargreaves will likely loom as one of the most difficult to replace, after spending the past 15 seasons as one of the NRL’s most-fear enforcers.
Keary has also developed into one of the NRL’s most composed playmakers, as one of only three halves to have won premierships at multiple clubs this century.
‘He bounced around a lot, and he got everything out of his football career,’ Robinson said of Keary.
‘He is an intelligent guy, and has worked so hard on his game, physically and mentally. Three premierships, a Clive Churchill, Australia and NSW.
‘It’s a pretty good career he has eked out there. I am pretty proud of him.’
