The fallout from the Roosters’ brutal elimination final defeat at the hands of the South Sydney Rabbitohs has continued, with reports suggesting that firebrand duo Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Victor Radley are set to be put through some kind of ‘anger management’ program by the club during the off-season.
The duo were responsible for a combined three trips to the sin-bin during the heated encounter for reckless contact, and both have developed reputations as aggressors within the league.
According to Wide World of Sports, insiders at the club are growing frustrated with the duo’s antics, feeling they were largely to blame for the team’s untimely exit after entering the finals in untouchable form.
In the Round 25 encounter between the teams, which the Roosters won comfortably, Waerea-Hargreaves played just 13 minutes, and Radley not at all. In the elimination final they played 46 and 55 minutes respectively. That difference in minutes is apparently seen by some as a telling sign of the negative influence of their antics.
Though Waerea-Hargreaves was handed a three-game ban after a number of similar offences this year, it looks like he won’t miss a moment of NRL action next season because of it, with the prop likely to serve out the ban as part of New Zealand’s World Cup squad.
The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Rothfield added more intrigue to the issue after mentioning on NRL360 that the Roosters prop may have broken his wrist during the elimination final.
“I was told Jared had broken his wrist early in the game,” Rothfield claimed.
“He got it needled up at halftime. The Roosters, however, won’t confirm this.
“They are keeping it very quiet to make sure Michael Maguire does pick him for the World Cup, and to make sure he doesn’t start next season missing three games.”
