From Bondi to Hull and back: JWH's debut podcast

Roosters Legend and Kiwi international Jared Waerea-Hargreaves joins Chiming In this week for a catch-up fresh off his stint with Hull KR. The front-rower dives into being a union kid, playing on the edge and life after footy.

First pod, final ban

Chimes opens by pointing out this interview is somewhat of a scoop for him: despite 17 top-grade seasons, this marks Waerea-Hargreaves' debut podcast appearance. The Roosters great brushed it off with a laugh—"no one really wants to listen to an old front rower"—before diving into his Hull KR farewell.

Swapping Bondi for Hull's chill

It was a Paris World Cup chat sparked the unlikely England move, followed by Hull KR coach Willie Peters' call: the deal locked in "literally... in two three days," sweetened by linking up with old Roosters mate Kenny-Dowall on staff. At 36, the realities hit hard - the cold training sessions had him questioning "What the f*** am I doing here?", a gym leg press doubling as a towel rack, kids trudging to school in minus four with wellies on. But he adapted fast. "You don't need much," he reflects. "It's the people within... the four walls." The payoff was massive: Challenge Cup, League Leaders' Shield and Super League title in a dominant year that built unbreakable bonds with teammates. Off-field, Europe was a playground—Greece to escape the cold, Italy runs for the missus, Paris where the Eiffel Tower's glow had his 10-year-old proclaiming it "an absolute dream," and even Turkey. "When everything's so close... you got to utilise it," he says, calling the whole adventure one of his career's best years.

Union roots to Roosters immortality

New Zealand-born, Waerea-Hargreaves grew up as his mum's ball boy for Bay of Plenty rugby games, then shifted to Queensland at nine for Iona College's union program. Everyone pegged him as "a rugby league player playing rugby union," hooked on the contact, shoulder charges and raw physicality. No Reds contract sent him to Sydney's Waratahs pathway at 17, crashing above Norths' Cabana Bar—"I thought I was living the dream... No parents to answer to and I was cruising Sydney City."

Manly lured him to league through the then strong National Youth Competition (under 20's), "If it doesn't work, I can always come back to rugby," JWH said. He stood out over two years in the competition, drawing a Roosters offer—not huge cash after their wooden spoon year, but a clear NRL path over benchwarmers behind Test heavies. Leaving Manly hurt, yet Bondi delivered: three premierships, three World Club Challenges, a club-record 330 games that "if you hadn't been suspended... would have played 4 or 500." His 307th, overtaking legends as most-capped Chook, blindsided him—he's not his style to chase milestones, but the week's tributes from mates and staff hit deep.

Edge of the enforcer

Hargreaves has never made it a secret that for him, competing is everything: "I just... wanted to win." Young Jared played many sports and channelled this fiery edge into league's "fine line" where front-rowers push the intensity, cross over sometimes and wear the judiciary hits. In one brutal year he paid "42 grand in fines," water bottle tosses alone costing $6k as he sat in the "far column" for straight cash penalties.

Hargreaves also broke down the dark arts vividly: ruck wrestles dragged on just long enough, scrums screwed extra tight on your opposite, leaving them pinned post-play-the-ball. Success shows in their eyes as fatigue creeps—slumped, slower, done. Rivalries fired him up, like early scraps with Sam Thaiday or the Spencer Leniu head clash that lit media ablaze. Yet it was never personal forever, "Six months later... shaking hands in a physio room" as Roosters teammates chasing a comp. Team always won out.

Bondi way and pack leadership

Hargreaves said Roosters' "way" fuses footy with identity: "walking each day... as a man, knowing who you represent," pride in the club's history, passionate fans and Bondi's grit. Waerea-Hargreaves built leadership the same way—digging into teammates' backgrounds, especially intimidating new kids in a star locker room. His Māori and Kiwi roots made connecting natural, "show that you care and then you just build on top of that," forging a forward pack that gelled as one.

Trent Robinson was pivotal from 2010, honing his game and life lessons. His genius? Keeping vets like him hooked for 15 years via wild trips: early US camps, Queenstown pre-seasons, Barcelona/Paris wanders, even Kokoda Track slogs with the current squad. "Memories you'll cherish forever," he says—brutal physically, but gold for buy-in and stories that echo.

Life after and the next gen

Now Roosters Academy lead, he's got 23 hungry prospects from NZ, Sydney and QLD bunked in club apartments—mornings hit fields and gym, afternoons with their teams. Tough love? "Reps. Plenty of reps" to harden them up; he sees his younger self in their third-round nerves, pumped to share scars and spark growth as the club's future.

No itch to play: "I don't miss preseason," skipping 13-hour days for family time while still chasing personal physical hits. "Not once... did I ever think [of] pulling the pin," he says. "I squeezed every bit of juice out of me... it's a good feeling." To NRL hopefuls: make footy your lifestyle, "all in" daily, grind with joy, call out corner-cutters—"that's your role"—for the culture. Fines, bans, all of it? "I'd sign the dotted line for sure." Pure enforcer to the last.