Suspended Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves may feature in his side’s Las Vegas season opener next year after being named in the New Zealand squad for the 2023 Pacific Championships.
This is despite Waerea-Hargreaves copping a seven-game suspension last month for two separate incidents from the Roosters’ Round 26 win over the Tigers.
Waerea-Hargreaves still has four games to serve from that suspension, but if the veteran prop is named in a New Zealand team for the a match during the Pacific Championships, those games can count for his ban.
Watch every game of The 2023 NRL Telstra Finals Series before the Grand Final Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo Sports. Join now and start streaming instantly >
“He came super close to not playing!” | 13:06
Despite the Kiwis boasting a deep pool of talent to pick from for spots in the front two, New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Greg Peters told the Sydney Morning Herald that Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was picked as he would have been selected “if he wasn’t suspended.”
Waerea-Hargreaves was part of New Zealand’s side for the World Cup last year but missed the first two games of the tournament because of suspension.
NRL judiciary chairman Geoff Bellew will ultimately have the final say on what matches will go towards the prop’s suspension.
If Bellew does count those representative fixtures, it will be a big boost for the Roosters to have one of their best forwards on deck for next year’s Las Vegas clash against the Brisbane Broncos.
The 34-year-old is one of the most decorated forwards in New Zealand history, representing his country on 33 occasions from 2009.
Discussion about this post