New Hull KR signing reveals how close he came to choosing rugby union over league

Hull KR prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is arguably the biggest new arrival in Super League in 2025: but he almost wasn’t even a rugby league player to begin with.

Waerea-Hargreaves joins the Robins after a stellar career in the NRL. He established a reputation as one of Sydney Roosters’ finest-ever players across a spell which lasted over 300 games and nearly 15 years.

He is one of the big marquee arrivals to Super League in 2025 and will be one of the competition’s major attractions when the new season kicks off in February.

But, speaking to Love Rugby League’s sister website, Planet Rugby, Waerea-Hargreaves has lifted the lid on his early days as a rugby union player and how he was lured to league with Manly Sea Eagles – despite never having played the sport before.

A promising junior with the Waratahs, Waerea-Hargreaves secured international honours for Australia as a junior before being tempted to the NRL.

And the rest, as they say, is history, with the prop now set to star for Rovers next year almost 20 years after his formative days in union.

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“I’ve never played rugby league when I went to Manly for the first time,” he said. “I was also told that I was a rugby league player playing rugby union just because of the physicality I played with.

“I was at the Waratahs in 2007 and I ended up making the Aussie Under-19s a year younger. I always thought I’d play rugby union forever.

“As soon as Manly gave me the opportunity in 2008 I didn’t look back. In 2009 the opportunity came at the Roosters, and it was an opportunity to play first-grade.

“I just wanted to play NRL and the calibre of forwards I was playing behind at Manly everyone was playing representative footy. In 2009 the Roosters got the wooden spoon and for me to go to the Chooks and play some NRL every single week – that was a dream of mine.

“That’s what I wanted to do and they gave me the opportunity. It’s funny how 15 years goes by and you look at the friendships that you’ve got for life, the memories that you’ve got forever.”

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