JWH Gets Second Wind Under His Wings
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Age will not weary Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
The Roosters' Kiwi international turned 30 in January but last round did something fairly rare for front-rowers in the NRL.
He played 80 minutes at prop against Manly and on a wet, heavy ground, and he didn't complain about it.
"Yes it was fatiguing but the conditions probably played in my favour as a front rower because it kept it nice and tight," Waerea-Hargreaves said of a sodden Lottoland on Saturday night.
"Those agile players found it harder. It enables us front rowers to push effort and those minutes."
The 80 minutes wasn't pre-planned. Lindsay Collins came off the bench to replace Waerea-Hargreaves but then he received a head knock early in the tackle count and was sent off for an HIA.
Waerea-Hargreaves had barely sat down on the Roosters bench when he was called back into the action. Collins failed his HIA and Waerea-Hargreaves stayed out there.
"Last year just before the Denver Test," he reflected on when the last NRL match was that required an 80 minute-effort.
"Obviously it brings with it a foundation for me. To do it early in the year, that's now my standard. I got a lot of confidence out of it.
"It shows there are no excuses not to be fit. It shows I’m ready to go."
It also explains some impressive Wearea-Hargreaves statistics against his former club. He managed to get his 108kg frame around Lottoland for 232 running metres. He also made 43 tackles – most of them in torrential rain.
JWH ready to build off marathon 80-minute effort
"You see a couple of guys go down [injured] so you have a thought to yourself that you'll be pushing a few minutes. And it just turns out that you're on there for the whole game.
"It was really good to do it so early in the year."
There was no secret pre-season lotions or potions to give him that extra punch.
"Just credit to these guys here," he said pointing towards the Roosters gym and training offices, where the rehab team work their magic.
"And probably chasing the kids around at home. So, no secret – just as you get older, the mentality of pushing through the fatigue gets a bit easier."
