Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is set to be a pivotal member of the Kiwis' World Cup campaign now the enforcer's suspension is over, however the prop has revealed he needs to watch himself as his children start paying attention.
It was a wild end to the Roosters' campaign, coming from outside the top eight to win their final eight regular season games, before a manic elimination final against arch-rivals South Sydney sent them packing.
Waerea-Hargreaves' form was a baseline for the Roosters' form, his dominant displays putting his club on the front foot, before his madness sent them back a few steps.
The prop had a little melee with Kiwis teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona when they met in Round 24, before a head slam on Thomas Burgess in their elimination final loss sealed their season, washing away his strong performances in the lead-up.
He's always treaded the line during his NRL career, however now, his kids are tuning in for their father's performances - and his foul play.
“I get on the phone on to my wife and the first thing I ask is, ‘Did Zahli watch that game?' ‘Did my girl see Daddy get sent off?'" Waerea-Hargreaves told The Sydney Morning Herald.
While a three-game ban imposed for the head slam saw Waerea-Hargreaves assume his hopes of a final World Cup campaign were dashed, Michael Maguire showed faith in the Roosters' aggressor, though the pair had to discuss the front-rower's fits of rage.
“These are the conversations that need to be had and we've had them,” Waerea-Hargreaves told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“You've got to learn. I think the next game that we play, I've said that as an individual you need to be better and learning from your mistakes.
“That whole 80-minute performance [against South Sydney] was really disappointing and hard.
“So getting an opportunity to come into a Kiwis space, it motivates me to be better. To lead these boys in the Kiwis jersey and to try and be better.”
The prop has essentially just been another number on the field for the Kiwis until this point, using Waerea-Hargreaves as a human tackling bag in preparation for their first two pool games, a role Waerea-Hargreaves is happy to forego.
“I came away knowing that it was going to be a long time before being in the mix again. To be honest it's quite frustrating.
“You do fitness most days and extras, knowing that it's going to benefit the team but there's no real light at the end of the tunnel other than three to four weeks away.
“I trained with the team today rather than running the ball up 20 times and getting bashed and being that guy. I was in the mix today and it was exciting to be back.”
The middle forward has played 274 of his 280 NRL games at the Roosters, debuting for Manly in 2009, and is getting closer to drawing curtains on an illustrious career that's claimed JWH three premiership rings and over 30 caps for his country.
While most players spend their final seasons panicking over their post-footy future, Waerea-Hargreaves spends his focusing on the balance between football and fatherhood.
“I still get home and I explain to the kids, ‘Yeah, Daddy got in trouble last night'.
“‘Well, why did you get in trouble Dad?' ‘Well sometimes Daddy has to push a boundary and sometimes [goes] a little bit too far'.
“But it's all part of learning and being a parent. My role as a Rooster, as a leader of the club, I enjoy it.”
Waerea-Hargreaves will play his first game of the tournament in the Kiwis final pool game, a 5:30am AEDT Saturday clash against Ireland, which pits JWH against club teammate, Luke Keary.
