Hull KR facing risk or reward dilemma after Jared Waerea-Hargreaves ban

Hull KR find themselves with a major dilemma after NRL signing and star forward Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was handed a two-match ban.

The Kiwi prop was the only player in Super League to be sent to the sin bin in Round Eleven but it’s come at a huge cost for Hull KR and the veteran forward, who has now been handed a Grade D charge for his actions.

Midway through the first-half, Waerea-Hargreaves caught Huddersfield’s Matty English high with the Giants man left bleeding from the mouth before subsequently failing a Head Injury Assessment.

The injury to English is actually crucial as it means that JWH cops a further three points on top of any charge and that’s seen him earn 15 penalty points, taking his season total to 16.

Much was made of the Waerea-Hargreaves’ disciplinary record in the NRL with plenty of fans making jibes that he would sit half the season on the sideline, however, this is the first major charge he has earned but it is a very costly one.

He will now be banned for the next two games and have a disciplinary millstone around his neck for the remainder of the season but Hull KR could appeal the ban.

Should Hull KR appeal against Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ ban?

As it stands, Waerea-Hargreaves will miss Hull KR’s next two games which are a Challenge Cup Final dress rehearsal against Warrington Wolves and a clash with St Helens, ahead of the Robins’ trip to Wembley.

If Hull KR were to look at this as a stand-alone issue then they’d accept that their veteran prop would be getting two matches rest before their biggest game of the season so far, however, with the way the new disciplinary system works that is not the case.

After serving those two games, Waerea-Hargreaves will see his disciplinary points total drop to 10. He had one point prior to this charge, cops three points for causing injury and then sees his the 12 points for the charge halved, placing him at 10 points.

That would leave him just two Grade A charges or one Grade B charge away from another two-match ban, something he would almost certainly cop at some point in the remaining 16 rounds of the season.

By appealing the ban, Hull KR could make the argument that a Grade D charge was severe given his clean record in England, and therefore see the charge lowered to a Grade C which is worth just five points.

If they were successful in that argument then Waerea-Hargreaves would cop eight points, still earning him a one-match ban, but crucially leaving him on 6.5 points going forward meaning he would be 5.5 points away from a two-match ban. That is far easier to navigate and ensures the prop wouldn’t be playing with a disciplinary millstone around his neck.

Of course, the risk versus reward element of Rovers’ dilemma then comes into play because a failed appeal automatically adds five points to a player’s disciplinary record, elevating JWH to 21 points and therefore a three-game ban.

In turn, he would miss the Challenge Cup Final which is a huge price to pay but as it stands with the prop set to walk a disciplinary tightrope for the rest of the season, he could end up missing a number of huge games later in the year anyway.

The Robins have until midday on Tuesday to decide if they wish to appeal.

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has received a grade D charge for head contact from the Match Review Panel following Saturday’s game against Huddersfield.

JWH has been fined and will be suspended for the next two games ❌❌ pic.twitter.com/eGvU291RyI

— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) May 19, 2025