This week, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, one of the most controversial and accomplished players in Sydney Roosters history, will play in his 300th NRL game, marking yet another significant accomplishment in his remarkable career.

For good reason, the unflappable forward has always been included when discussing the all-time best Roosters.

In Search of a Home

From his modest origins as a young New Zealander living in dorms and his beat-up automobile, the young vagrant came to Australia in search of a rugby union opportunity, eventually landing in the thirteen-man code.

He arrived in Bondi as a vagrant looking for his next resting place, which he would swiftly transform into a home for the following fifteen years.

It was difficult for members and supporters to remain silent as the Roosters attempted to redefine themselves after winning their first wooden spoon in more than thirty years. The reason behind this was a tyro with spiky hair and blonde tips who ran with confidence and fearlessness.

They hadn’t seen this child in years, but she had something. Although his opponents detested him, but Roosters fans embraced him with open arms.

And he made an immediate impact on the side’s fortunes, featuring in the Grand Final in his very first season at the Club. While the Tricolours didn’t lift the trophy on that afternoon, it wouldn’t be his last time taking the field on the first Sunday of October.

Fire and Brimstone

Every strong team has a leader who doesn’t mind pushing the envelope and treading lightly on the edge of sanity, and the veteran warrior has served as the antagonist in more than a few games. That is just how he has desired it to be.

The statistics speak for themselves: during the course of his career, 32 charges have kept him out of action for a total of 23 weeks. He has, however, multiplied his contributions on the field in comparison to his time off.

He won the most prestigious honors given by the Club in his third season at Moore Park, including the James Mathews Clubman of the Year award in 2017 and the Jack Gibson Medal as player of 2012.

Under Trent Robinson, Waerea-Hargreaves grew as a leader of the forward pack, starting in every match through the 2013 season, including the famous Grand Final triumph.

It wasn’t a surprise to see the side’s fortunes wane in 2016 while he was on the sidelines nursing the dreaded ACL rupture, but he bounced back stronger than ever as an instrumental figure in the Tricolours’ conquest for back-to-back titles.

One of the finest performances from any Rooster in a decider came in the 2019 Grand Final, where he led from the front, topping the side’s tackle count with 41 and adding 185 metres in an almighty 57-minute stint.

Hard work and dedication have always been Waerea-Hargreaves’ core values, but he’s always added an element of controlled aggression that few can harness.