Jared Waerea-Hargreaves makes future admission as he explains why Hull KR was his ‘only option’

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves hasn’t ruled out the possibility of staying at Hull KR for longer than one season.

The New Zealand international has penned a one-year deal with the Robins in a switch that sees him bring his time in the NRL to an end. Waerea-Hargreaves spent 15 seasons with Sydney Roosters, making 310 appearances along the way and winning three Grand Finals.

At the age of 35, though, he has made the switch to east Hull to sample Super League before he hangs up his boots and retires. However, when that retirement date comes is yet to be decided, with Waerea-Hargreaves admitting he could well be willing to extend his stay at Craven Park.

“I’m open to it,” Waerea-Hargreaves told the press during his unveiling at Craven Park when asked whether he could stay beyond the end of the 2025 season. “I’ve told my wife who is obviously the boss, we’ll see how it goes. So far it’s been great.

“Hopefully to continues to be great. As long as my wife and kids are happy, we’ll see what the future holds.”

Of course, given what Waerea-Hargreaves has done in the game, it’s hard to believe that the forward didn’t have other options both in the NRL and Super League. However, the former Roosters man admits he never contemplated a move to any other club, with his heart being set on Craven Park since it was first mentioned to him by Rovers’ transition development coach Shaun Kenny-Dowall

“My daughter asked me if Hull KR was the only option for us to come to and I told her it was the only option,” he added about how the move came about. “I obviously have a great relationship with Shaun – he’s one of my best mates – but the amount of good stories and comments I’ve heard about Willie as a head coach and a man, and from what I’ve experienced in the past 12 months, it was always KR.

“I never, ever contemplated talking to other teams. As soon as Shaun asked me if it was an option last year, it was always KR.”

He added on keeping tabs on KR’s fortunes in 2024: “I was getting up pretty early to watch with my kids and my wife came into the living room to see me standing two or three metres from the TV watching. She could clearly see me getting ready.

“I just want to be a positive addition to what this club has been building. They’ve got a great culture here and I want to be a great addition to that.

“We do what we do to be successful. I’ve come here with clear intentions to work hard and be successful. It’ll be a good challenge.”