It took just 11 minutes into his return game, but Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ NRL career is hanging by a thread with the Roosters enforcer waiting for the match review committee to deem when he will play again.
On a turbulent day for the Roosters in which Joseph Suaalii was cleared of serious injury and Victor Radley was lucky to escape a sin-bin for a high shot which was put on report, Waerea-Hargreaves faces an anxious wait over an errant tackle against the Titans on Sunday.
In his first game back after breaking the club record for the most matches and then being suspended, Waerea-Hargreaves left his mark on former teammate Sam Verrills, with replays showing the veteran 35-year-old making direct contact with the head of his Gold Coast rival.
Referee Adam Gee sent Waerea-Hargreaves to the sin-bin before the Roosters stormed to a 48-22 win at Cbus Super Stadium to assume second spot on the ladder.
If Waerea-Hargreaves cops a grade one careless high tackle charge, he can escape with a $3000 fine.
If the match review committee deems the incident worthy of a grade two careless high tackle, he faces a three-game ban. The sanction would become four matches if he unsuccessfully fights it at the judiciary.
A three-match suspension will rule Waerea-Hargreaves out until the Roosters’ second finals match, potentially a grand final qualifier.
“To be honest, I don’t think I can talk too much about it,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson said. “It was disappointing for him to go to the bin. I might keep it at that, to be honest.”
The Roosters’ concern wasn’t limited to just Waerea-Hargreaves, who has already announced he will head to the Super League next year, with rugby union-bound Suaalii helped from the field with his arm in a sling in the first half.
On the injury, Robinson said: “He had a really bad stinger [to his shoulder], and he just couldn’t get force out of it, both on flexion and extension. It was getting better the longer the game went, but not enough strength to play. Let’s hope by [Monday] it’s in a good spot.”
His scan results will also be keenly watched by Rugby Australia, who were likely to include the prodigy on the Wallabies’ European tour in November after outlaying $1.6 million a season to poach him from rugby league until the end of 2027.
Radley was lucky to dodge the same sin-bin fate as Waerea-Hargreaves after clocking Chris Randall with a high shot in the first half.
NSW prop Spencer Leniu was also booked for a shoulder charge on Keenan Palasia in the second stanza, while Daniel Tupou was also on report for a tackle on AJ Brimson.
The match review committee will scrutinise those tackles on Monday morning.
The Roosters, who were facing David Fifita for the first time since the former State of Origin forward backflipped on an agreement to join the Tricolours this year, were always in control of the match despite the NRL’s top try-scorer Alofiana Khan-Pereira bagging a hat-trick for the Titans.
Angus Crichton, who was subsequently re-signed after Fifita pulled out of the Roosters deal, scored a hat-trick of his own.
The Roosters are in the box seat to secure hosting rights for a week one final after the Panthers were stunned by the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS 48 (Angus Crichton 3, Daniel Tupou 2, Dom Young, Sam Walker, James Tedesco, Sitili Tupouniua tries; Sam Walker 6 goals) defeated GOLD COAST TITANS 22 (Alofiana Khan-Pereira 3, Keano Kini tries; Jayden Campbell 3 goals) at Cbus Super Stadium. Referee: Adam Gee.