NRL Tackle: Referee, officials miss Jared Waerea-Hargreaves’ shocking high tackle
Sydney Roosters veteran Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has escaped a ban for a shocking high tackle against the Cowboys, but will have to be at his disciplined best for the rest of the season to avoid finishing his NRL career on a sour note.
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The first major bye round of the NRL season saw plenty of drama, with the Bunker, Reed Mahoney and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves back in the headlines. FATIMA KDOUH reveals her likes and dislikes from round 13.
ROUND 13 DISLIKES
JWH IN STRIFE
Departing Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will be walking a judiciary tightrope in his final season in the NRL after avoiding suspension for a high shot on North Queensland’s Thomas Mikaele in the Cowboys’ 18-16 win on Sunday.
Waerea-Hargreaves can escape with a $3000 fine with an early guilty plea for his grade-one careless high-tackle charge, which was his third and subsequent offence.
Should he fight the charge at the judiciary and lose, he will serve a two-match ban.
With the Roosters having a bye this weekend, Waerea-Hargreaves will be free to take his place in the Roosters’ Round 15 side to face Parramatta.
However, he will need to tread carefully not to end his Roosters career on a sour note and add to the 23 games he’s already spent sidelined through suspension over his career. Any offence going forward will result in a suspension, rather than a fine.
Waerea-Hargreaves, 35, is the NRL’s oldest player and has signed to join UK Super League side Hull KR from next season.
“When you see that shot, that certainly does Jared no favours there,” Fox League analyst Greg Alexander said after seeing replays of the ugly shot.
Fox League’s Michael Ennis agreed that the Roosters enforcer was lucky. “He’s lucky not to go to the sin bin,” Ennis said.
Cowboys backrower Heilum Luki was sent to the sin bin in the 52nd minute after up-ending Sitili Tupouniua in a tackle that left the Tricolours forward above the horizontal.
Far out, how was that JWH tackle not a sinbin? Now he'll get a couple weeks and it will benefit other teams but not the cowboy. #NRLRoostersCowboys
— Charles Box (@BoxCharles11677) June 2, 2024
I don’t know how JWH has got to 300+ games with the amount of suspensions he’s had. The dude must never be injured to account for the amount of shit he does on the field.
— Wahs Up (@WahsUpTV) June 2, 2024
Just watching the replay of the JWH hit now, how is he still on the field?
— T Mac 🸠#Toots307 (@NoShins81) June 2, 2024
That was forceful, shoulder and directly in the jaw.#NRL#NRLRoostersCowboys
If it was, ohhh wait.
FROSTY PHONE CALL?
Former NSW coach Brad Fittler believes Michael Maguire’s SOS phone call to axed Blues skipper James Tedesco would have been a frosty conversation.
It’s a fascinating take from Fittler, who walked away from the Blues job after two straight series losses, but had built a strong relationship with Tedesco during his tenure as Blues boss.
After 22 games for the Blues, Tedesco was sensationally dropped for Penrith premiership winners Dylan Edwards for game one on Wednesday night at Accor Stadium.
Edwards was then ruled out on Sunday morning forcing Maguire to pick up the phone to recall Tedesco into camp.
Asked what kind of reception Maguire would have received from Tedesco, Immortal Andrew Johns said Tedesco’s class would have made the phone call an easy one.
“Fine, he’s a really good fella. It goes to show the character of Tedesco, I think the first person to ring Dylan Edwards was James Tedesco,” Johns said on Channel 9.
But surprisingly, Fittler disagreed with Johns’ assessment of the situation.
“I don’t know if it would have been fine,” Fittler quickly retorted.
“It would have been the least amount of words as possible … the thing is, he’s given him his opportunity.
“(But) I don’t know how warm it was going to be. If you ever got dropped, you’re not feeling good about that.
It would have been the least amount of words … ‘you’re the man to do a job here’.
“He’s definitely the man to do it. A lot couldn’t walk into that scenario.”
BARRETT EEL-LY A CONTENDER
Interim Parramatta coach Trent Barrett’s name will be on a shortlist of candidates to take over from Brad Arthur but many Eels fans will be hoping it is nothing more than a formality.
Eels bosses know it would be a show of disrespect to leave Barrett’s name off any list, even if the former Manly and Canterbury head coach appears to be below NSW coach Michael Maguire, Storm assistant Jason Ryles, Roosters’ attack coach Justin Holbrook and Cronulla’s Josh Hannay.
Even former Wallabies coach Michael Cheika is in the mix.
But should Barrett be a serious option and not just merely a formality?
Parramatta produced one of its best team efforts in a long time to beat the Sharks on Thursday.
The return of Mitchell Moses from a broken foot was the difference.
Arthur lost his job with Moses sidelined and his return could breathe life into Barrett’s head coaching ambitions. Through his running and kicking game, half Moses put on a masterclass and looked like Barrett had given him free rein as the side’s general.
Arthur struggled to get the best out of Maika Sivo in 2024, but Barrett has seemingly lit a fire under the rampaging winger, who looked to return to his best with a first-half double.
If this is an audition for Barrett then wins over a rejuvenated Canterbury and the Roosters in the next two weeks must have him squarely in the conversation about 2025.
The Eels will need to win nine of the remaining 12 games to be in the running for the finals and with Moses on song, inspirational skipper Clint Gutherson back and the forward pack firing, a surge towards September should be in the realms of possibility.
If Barrett can get the Eels back into the finals equation, club bosses will have no option but to consider him.
One of the biggest slights on Barrett as a head coach was his perceived lack of man-management skills. But those around Barrett vouch that he has learned all the right lessons out of his time at Manly and Canterbury.
JOEY SAYS REED THE ROOM
Canterbury hooker Reed Mahoney risks leaving a legacy of being a “grub” and not much else.
That’s the brutal assessment of Immortal Andrew Johns of Mahoney, who Johns believes should be in the Origin conversation for Queensland.
It’s advice worth heeding for Mahoney. Maroons coach Billy Slater has shown his hand with the omission of David Fifita from game one on Wednesday, that a players ‘lowlights’ carry more weight than anything on a highlights reel.
Johns believes Mahoney’s niggling tactics will be viewed as lowlights when it comes to Origin selection.
“Reed is a champion fella, I worry that this is going to be his legacy that people say ‘oh yeah, he was a pest, he was a pain in the backside’, instead of talking about what a great player he is,” Johns said on Channel 9.
“We should be talking about Reed Mahoney as a chance of playing Origin football this year. I should be talking about his kicking game, the other night it was sensational.
“But if I say Reed Mahoney, everyone just goes ‘ah yeah, he’s a pest. He gets under people’s skin’. It takes away from his great play.
“When he finishes, does he want his legacy to be that people say ‘he was a grub, he’s a grub’? Or do you want to talk about how great he was. He’s a tough defender.”
KNIGHTS HALVES DILEMMA
Four wins from five games without superstar fullback Kalyn Ponga has helped mask a series halves dilemma for coach Adam O’Brien that is now under the spotlight after Friday’s loss to Canterbury.
The Bulldogs played 60 minutes with only 12 men but the Knights attack failed to capitalise on that opportunity but also failed to score a single try despite being tackled 34 times in Canterbury’s red zone.
It was enough for the injured Ponga to cover his eyes with a beanie during the match and for the loyal fans – that had braved the rainy conditions – to leave the stadium before full-time.
O’Brien is backing a halves combination of Jackson Hastings and Jack Cogger to run the show, but even the coach admitted to lacking creativity on the ball and an inability to generate momentum in attack.
O’Brien made sure not to lay the blame completely on Hastings and Cogger but there is no denying the halves duo offer very similar skillets rather than attributes that complement each other.
There are calls to blood English recruit Will Pryce into the NRL side in the No.6 jumper. Pryce’s strength as a playmaker is to run the ball and probe the line, which completes a traditional No.7 like Hastings.
O’Brien conceded Pryce is still developing his game in NSW Cup, which does not bode well for a halves shake-up. Newcastle face Melbourne on Sunday, and if the attack continues to falter O’Brien won’t be able to ignore calls to pull the trigger on Pryce much longer.
HEAD KNOCK RISK
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett was furious with the lack of action taken by referee Adam Gee, and the bunker, when Connelly Lemuelu and Herbie Farnworth were sent for HIAs and the offending Raiders were left unpenalised.
Canberra’s Trey Mooney was charged, and copped a $1000 fine, for his hit on Lemuelu by the match review committee on Sunday.
But veteran prop Joe Tapine had no case to answer for his effort on Farnworth.
It’s a timely lesson for Farnworth, who stayed down with five minutes left on the clock and his side only one point ahead after minimal from Tapine as tried to tackle the Dolphins centre.
Farnworth received some attention from a trainer while on the ground but after the referee’s whistle failed to blow he stood up, with a smile on his face, and played the ball.
It was obvious from Tapine’s reaction to the incident that he felt as though Farnworth was milking for a penalty at a crucial point in the game.
Ultimately, staying down caught the attention of the head Bunker and forced Farnworth from the field for a HIA.
Gamesmanship tends to creep its way into a tight tussle but with two points on the line, but Farnworth’s situation is a timely reminder to players that the game’s head bunker operates independently to the match officials.
ROUND 13 LIKES
DRAGONS’ DILEMMA
Shane Flanagan’s NSW Cup cavalry helped lead a spirited second-half comeback against Penrith, but what does the coach do with his rising chargers this week against Wests Tigers?
Sione Finau’s enormous first carry of the second half lit a fire under the Dragons as he sliced through Penrith’s defence like butter. Zac Lomax will return from Origin duty on the right wing but Finau’s 193m effort, that included six tackle busts, should be enough to keep Mikaele Ravalawa in reserve grade another week.
Both Max and Mathew Feagai were impressive and looked nothing like the players said to be on the rebuild scrap heap under Flanagan. With Jack Bird (ankle) out for at least three more weeks, Max Feagai is shaping as a capable replacement at centre.
Rising forward Toby Couchman was a handful from the bench and looks poised to retain his spot in the 17 named to take on the Tigers.
Flanagan’s rebuild will depend on the club’s rising stocks as much as his success in the player market, and the NRL experience handed to Finau and Couchman brothers Toby and Ryan will only aid his long-term goals.
PANTHERS NURSERY PURRING
Six “next-men up” were too many for the Panthers as they faltered against the Dragons without Nathan Cleary (hamstring), plus Origin stars Isaah Yeo, Brian To’o, Jarome Luai, Liam Martin and Dylan Edwards.
But there was a shining light in outside back Jesse McLean, another of Penrith’s many talented juniors.
McLean’s role in Ivan Cleary’s Penrith juggernaut will grow now that Sunia Turuva is heading to the Tigers in 2025, and that Taylan May’s future at the club is hanging in the balance.
And as hopeful as Penrith coaching staff are for McLean, there is even more excitement about his younger brother, and centre Casey, 18, who is already playing in NSW Cup.
Cleary preferred Daine Laurie at fullback over Isaiah Iongi when Dylan Edwards was called into Blues camp. But with Edwards now out injured (calf), Iongi could be in line for an NRL debut against Manly this week.
DOGS OF WAR ARE BACK
Canterbury played 20 minutes of Friday’s 32-2 win against Newcastle with 12 men but still the Knights could not crack the Bulldogs’ defence. Last year, Canterbury was the worst defensive side in the NRL. With Cameron Ciraldo’s defensive mindset finally leaving its mark, the Bulldogs now have the best red-zone defence and are conceding only one try every 16 tackles.
A rejuvenated Bulldogs are also conceding the fewest runs and post-contact metres and the third fewest linebreaks.
Impressively, it has put the Bulldogs right in the finals mix at the halfway point of the season and has them looking like the most improved side in the NRL.
But in a huge blow for Ciraldo, flyer Josh Addo-Carr suffered a serious hamstring injury on the weekend and is set to miss up to 10 weeks.
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