Sport Confidential: Meet JWH’s baby daughter, the Tigers legend that was almost an Eel

SPORT CONFIDENTIAL: Jared Waerea-Hargreaves opens up about his daughter, the Tigers legend that was almost an Eel, and the gun player who went soft in the off-seaon.

The one person who got JWH though injury

MEET the little girl who got one of rugby league’s toughest men through a season-ending injury.

Little Zahli Rae Waerea-Hargreaves was born in August during a stretch when her dad, Roosters prop Jared, was cementing his position as one of the NRL’s most dominant front-rowers.

Just a week later, the Roosters enforcer was sidelined with an anterior cruciate injury — missing the finals but gifting him precious time with his partner Chelsea and his new arrival.

Jared Wearea-Hargreaves with his wife and baby daughter Zahli Rae. Picture: Steve Christo

“To not be there towards the end of the season was really tough,” Waerea-Hargreaves said. “I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to have the mother of my child and partner alongside me to support me.”

He continues to recover and will be back in about a month, not a minute too soon for the embattled Roosters.

Stewart’s sadness as snake bite claims horse

MANLY fullback Brett Stewart has been left shocked and shaken at the sudden death of his star pacer Zee Dana.

Ironically, ‘Snake’ had a horse that died of a snake bite this week.

The promising three-year-old had won six of 13 career starts and secured five placings to claim almost $100,000 in prizemoney.

“It’s obviously a bit of bad luck,” Stewart told Sports Confidential. “One of the owners rang me yesterday and said it was out in the paddock and took a snake bite.

Brett Stewart before the Manly Sea Eagles round one match.

“They rang the vet but they couldn’t do much. They had to put the horse down. It had been flying. It finished third in the Sydney Derby two weeks ago and they were setting it up for bigger and better things.

“All the different owners aren’t happy but it was a snake bite — there’s not much you could do about it. There were a number of other horses in the paddock that weren’t much chop.

“The snake left those ones alone and got ours.

“The plan was for it to come to Sydney.”

Stewart was a part-owner of Zee Dana, whose best career result was a win in a NSW Derby heat over 2400m last month.

In the final, Zee Dana ran third at Menangle in late ­February.

Tigers legend almost an Eel

BENNY Elias has told how he became close friends with Parramatta boss Denis Fitzgerald and nearly quit Balmain to join the Eels in 1987.

Elias said he was offered good coin, but stayed put when Balmain buddies Wayne Pearce and Steve Roach re-signed.

Mitchell Moses (then aged just 15) with his uncle Benny Elias.

Nearly 30 years on, Elias’ nephew Mitchell Moses now faces the same scenario. Does he chase big money elsewhere, or hang around at the Wests Tigers to play with mates Aaron Woods, James Tedesco and Luke Brooks?

It will be a nervous few months for Tigers fans, with whispers linking Brooks to Canterbury, while Moses (pictured) said he was uncommitted about 2017.

“My advice to Mitch would be to focus on every game, and the rest will take care of itself,’’ Elias said.

Elias is in Thailand but watched the Tigers’ round one win on TV.

Parra trio the rightful hairs

PARRAMATTA and Manly have swapped no shortage of players over the years — now the two clubs seem to be trading hairstyles.

Last Thursday night Eels trio Tepai Moeroa, Brad Takairangi and Kenny Edwards all stepped out with the cornrows hairstyle, which features little braids pulled back tightly.

The following night the Sea Eagles’ Marty Taupau, Steve Matai and Jorge Taufua all stepped out with the same do.

Martin Taupau.

Tepai Moeroa.

We feel for Channel 9 commentator Ray Warren who called both games, and will need to work out who is who when the two clubs meet in round seven.

Rabs told us callers often would look to a player’s hair if they couldn’t see the number on the back of the jersey. If that failed, they could rely on any strapping a player might have, or the colour of their boots.

“I’ve even called off the brand of a player’s boots,’’ Rabs said.

Hoppa fires back over coaching saga

THE increasingly toxic battle between John Hopoate and the NRL took another nasty turn yesterday with his lawyer filing an appeal against the original decision to forbid Hopoate from coaching the Manly under-18s team.

Hopoate’s lawyer, Julieanne Levick, says in her notice of appeal that Nick Weeks’ perceived conflict of interest between his two roles — head of the NRL’s Integrity Unit and secretary of the NRL Appeals Tribunal — was the basis for Hopoate’s appeal against the decision.

She argues Hopoate was not afforded procedural fairness, did not have legal representation and that ruling him unfit to coach was unreasonable and insupportable.

John Hopoate is continuing his fight to coach.

She said that petitions from friends and family of Hopoate would be presented at the appeal along with a reference from the Tongan head coach, charities Hopoate has aided and a full rebuttal to allegations Hopoate was involved in organised crime.

Former NSW police senior constable Paul Miles has expressed his disgust at the NRL’s decision to take the word of a former workmate, Detective Inspector Wayne Walpole, against Hopoate’s. Walpole was sacked from the police as a result of the Woods Royal Commission and later reinstated. He told the NRL Hopoate had organised crime links, and was taken on his word by Weeks.

Miles told Sport Confidential yesterday that he was shocked to see Walpole had become involved in the Hopoate case. “Frankly, I have no idea why he went anywhere near it,” Miles said .

Eels’ soft-Schu shuffle

FORMER NRL salary cap commissioner Ian Schubert has signed up at Parramatta for a year and has been charged with helping to fix up the mess.

Now halfway through the contract, Schubert started in November but has no way of repairing the damage of the past.

Ian Schubert is only looking to the future.

“My role is to see a way forward for them,” Schubert said.

“I can’t do anything about what has been done in previous years but I can help the new administration to ensure they don’t make these mistakes again. They need to know what they can and cannot do under the salary cap rules.”

Schubert was a respected salary cap watchdog at the NRL but he acknowledges the magnitude of the job at the Eels is daunting.

Luke now a more rounded player

THE sight of Issac Luke looking a little plumper in his first game for the Warriors last weekend was hardly a surprise for a few folk at his former club South Sydney.

Luke wasn’t the greatest trainer, which was never going to end well with Bunnies coach Michael Maguire, renowned for being one of the fiercest conditioners.

Has Issac Luke gone soft?

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Originally published as Sport Confidential: Meet JWH’s baby daughter, the Tigers legend that was almost an Eel