There’s a Trans-Tasman Test on tonight, and in another punch to his patriotic whiskers, the only thing Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will be lacing up is his best dressing gown at home.
Is it just me, or is this starting to become a tad weird?
The firebrand Chook hasn’t pulled on the national threads since 2013, and to be honest, I haven’t been able to pin an agreed line of thinking on why. The mystique is constantly thickening and it’s beginning to emit quite the stench.
It started last year with a stunning mid-season snub that was filed away under many guises. Some pointed to his lax numbers in the World Cup, whereas others thought it was just a regulation motivational spur that would see him back throwing coat-hangers for the national cause in no time.
But just as we expected his glorious return, the chiffon-strength excuse of ‘burnout’ was given to explain his omission from last year’s Four Nations. Immediately, conspiracy theorists shifted their attention from Roswell and began on the relationship between the scorned forward and his coach Steve Kearney.
Four months on to the 2015 mid-season match-up, and the riddle has been perpetuated with New Zealand Rugby League giving him the finger again.
Adding further mystique, this time around Waerea-Hargreaves made it uber-crystal that he wanted back in, firstly by healing rapidly to return three weeks early from a pectoral injury for Anzac Day, and secondly, by stating publicly that he was ‘always available for Kiwi selection.’
Articulated in clear English and delivered without a wink, I’m going to assume the powers-that-be knew he wasn’t pledging his candidacy for the Silver Ferns with this statement. But again, nothing.
So can we at least know why a long-term cornerstone and 16-Test premiership-winning veteran is being passed over?
Now don’t get me wrong. Kearney is a good burger, and I’m not here to question him and the NZRL on their operational matters, especially after I was put on The Roar rotisserie this time last year when I playfully lampooned his attitude to international footy.
I also acknowledge that no man on this earth is entitled to a Test jumper unless they spend over $300 at a clearance sale in any Peter Wynn’s Score. Quite simply, I am just a fan who is looking to file this away somewhere so I can get some sleep.
I know the Kiwi coach is looking to re-stump his squad for the long-term, so I can understand if there’s some older dudes he wants to leave on the side of the road on his journey. As they say, there’s no room in footy for arthritis.
Unfortunately, with Waerea-Hargreaves aged 26, that reason’s not going to stick. If anything, you could say he’s approaching prime beef stage for the front row, meaning his best days of horrendous body impact are ahead of him.
As for those in front of him in the team?
Sam Moa, Ben Matulino, Jesse Bromwich and Martin Taupau are tremendous talents in fine nick, and I’m certainly not going to get off the fence and pick one to be replaced. But couldn’t you just find room for a spiritual leader with violent tendencies in there somewhere? 18th man? Bus driver? Special teams? Something?
So in summary, I am still confused. Waerea-Hargreaves is not injured, not old, not unavailable and not in such gangrenous form that a goldfish would run over the top of him.
He’s a long-term prospect who’s Kiwi to the bone marrow. And dare I say it, even future captain potential?
After examining this issue from many different angles, I can only come to two conclusions. Either the Roosters enforcer owes Kearney money, or lo and behold, the coach may just not rate him.
Perhaps he thinks he is more trouble than he’s worth?
We all know that Waerea-Hargreaves is a heart and soul heartbeat who wholeheartedly wears his heart on his sleeve. On the other hand, he has developed a reputation of also being prone to penalties, loose conduct, and worse still, well-directed bait.
Perhaps Kearney believes his feral edge is too much of a liability against the street-smarts of sophisticated international brawn, where the slightest snafu can cost dearly? Or is there some other theory or explanation I have missed?
The Waerea conspiracy. Like all of the greats, it is one we may never fully understand.
Rick Karaitiana
Guest
Fortunately for the first time I can remember we have an abundance of top class Forwards, including Backs, thanks to the NRL. with youngsters coming through, it had to happen, and it has, with the professional era the young ones with talent are coming through those born in NZ and those who are affiliated from parentage. it use to be I am a Kiwi but I think Australia will be too strong, now they believe in themselves, and the NRL breeding ground has given them that belief. The Tour to the UK should cement that..
Jeremy
Guest
All the media grannys who hounded punching out of the NRL are talking up the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight. Shame as they will watch the fight instead of the test match they robbed of emotion.
GPR
Guest
I don't think he really had a pec strain, it was a bit of a ruse to get the Dragons off-guard. You could say he took a mid-week dive....
Brad. H
Guest
Justthetip Nailed it !
Russell Browne
Guest
JWH is a loose canon...simple as that. I would love to see him just play footy instead of being a grub and giving away pointless penalties at crucial times. He's a liability plain and simple. Go the Aussies.
Muzz
Guest
steveng, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjHs8QHwZ9M
The eye
Guest
well,the guy has a pectoral strain..he shouldnt have been anywhere near the dragons game last week,Robbo had him pencilled out for at least a month..but regardless gave his club with Tauikiaho a good,hard and tough center of the ruck and had a much better game than Moa..the stat sheet wouldnt show the extra bruising rehab Widdop would be having for mixing with him..hes devilish,no argument,but which NRL starting 13 wouldnt he make ?(yep,I'd have him before Tolman)
steveng
Roar Rookie
JWH is a big liability and not an asset to any team that he plays for. He has not done anything constructive to the Roosters for ages, he continually concedes free kicks so that the Roosters lose game after game. JWH has got allot to answer for and week in and week out he is put into the side 'as an inspiration' as his team mates continually say so, just like Graham is and his team mates say so, a pathetic and useless excuse for a violent player that is used to bring the biff into RL week in and week out.
GPR
Guest
Well said
Muzz
Guest
I can't upload my stats however i just found this and they do match the NRL numbers perfectly. http://www.nrl.com/telstrapremiership/playerprofiles/roostersplayerlist/tabid/10833/clubid/13/default.aspx
TheSmak
Guest
Was it intentional though?
TheSmak
Guest
Hahahahaha, I just got it. Sound of Music - "How do you solve a problem like Maria". Gold!
Renegade
Roar Guru
Where are you getting 56 from? The official NRL stats you would think would have to be more accurate than wherever you are sourcing yours from. I haven't hidden my dislike for the way he carries on when playing... Part of the reason is that he will do anything but actually play football on the field. The stats above are testament to that... And the Kiwi coach, the kiwis results without him and majority of the fans also support the opinion that his an average player at best.
Muzz
Guest
72 is incorrect Renegade. The amount of hit-ups a player makes is also relative to the system the coach employs. He's also only played 6.5 games due to injury. JWH bends the line better than any other prop you've listed.12.78 metres is a testament to that. Just admit you don't like the guy, i've read countless posts from you calling him a g rup.
Elma Dudd
Guest
I must be in the 1% then Muzz. I love his style of play and I think the refs tend to focus on him and he does tend to concede some innocuous penalties but he also tends to give away some really really stupid ones at times that change the momentum of the game against the roosters . I don't think we need 3 more of him.
Renegade
Roar Guru
Muzz, I can see the exact same figures that you have put up bar the hit-ups... NRL app says 72 hit-ups. Unfortunately I can't link the app but I'm sure the NRL.com site will show the same. Even if he does only play 46 minutes... That's only 8 (your stats) or 10 (NRL stats) per game. That would be down there with the worst in the league for starting props.
Muzz
Guest
I never stated that he was better than any other player selected. My question to Renegade was "what are you using as a gauge to measure how good they are?" I then provided a starting point for the debate. Is JWH hit-up technique illegal?
Muzz
Guest
SWEET!
Clint
Guest
He seems to bring the Roosters some aggro that they otherwise lack, but it comes at a cost. On 2015 form, he concedes a penalty every 68 run metres. By comparison, Matulino concedes one every 399m and Bromwich every 201m. Given how influential penalties are on scoring points, I think he could help both his selection chances and the Chooks by focusing on upping his workload while getting pinged less in the ruck/breakdown.
Muzz
Guest
BA Obviously he went off injured in round 4 with numbers like that and then missed round 5 vs Sharks.99% of Roosters fans would have another 3 JWH if it were possible.