Jared Waerea-Hargreaves first interview on Hull KR move

Fresh off signing a one-year deal with Hull KR for 2025, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves spoke to hullkr.co.uk on next season, his first chat with Willie Peters and what he'll bring to the Robins.

Speaking to hullkr.co.uk, Waerea-Hargreaves said: ‘It’s exciting. I’ve had a good couple of chats with Willie. He’s a great man and I’m really looking forward to playing for Hull KR and him in 2025.

‘The team has been building for a number of years. They were successful last year but fell short in the Cup Final. We’ve got a really strong squad this season and from the win over Hull you can see their training really hard.

‘For myself, my wife and the kids, we're looking forward to coming over as a family, knuckling down and enjoying the North of England. I’ve played a number of years in the UK with New Zealand, coming away internationally. I’ve loved England, I love how passionate the people are.

‘I love the working class city of Hull, it’s been on my radar for a couple of years. Now it’s official, it’s very exciting.’

The initial sparks of the three-time Grand Final Winner’s move to Hull KR go back to the night of the 2023 Rugby Union World Cup Final in Paris.

Jared highlighted his chat with current Hull KR Development Coach, Shaun Kenny-Dowall as key to the move: ‘My best mate is Shaun Kenny-Dowall, I played nearly ten seasons with Skids. When he went over to Hull, we stayed in contact and he’s spoken highly of Hull KR and the people in the club.

‘It’s being a part of what I wanted to do. Now that this opportunity is here, it’s very exciting. Once we started talking about it happening, it moved quickly.

‘We started talking about it in November last year, we met up in Paris for the Rugby Union World Cup Final and he asked what I was up to and said the opportunity was there (at Hull KR) and here we are now. I rang Willie and I rang Skids and said let’s make it happen.’

Waerea-Hargreaves is embracing the new challenge with a familiar face in Shaun Kenny-Dowall on the club’s coaching staff: ‘It’s going to be different. We have that respect for what we’ve done in the game. We’ve known each other long enough to have that respect.

‘I can’t wait. To be on the other side of the world in the North of England and be able to go to a place like Hull and do some special things with Hull KR is exciting.’

Ahead of his move, Jared outlined what he’ll bring to the Robins’ playing group for 2025: ‘This will be my 16th season in the NRL, and I’ve got a fair bit of experience. I’ve played in the big games and I want to be able to support these guys in areas they need and be hands on to do whatever it takes to bring as much positivity to the group as possible.

‘I’m a really passionate player. It’s something that’s been instilled in me from a young age. My parents taught me to work hard and fight for everything.

‘It’s a fresh change and a new start for me. Meeting new faces with different teammates I think it’s a really opportunity to come to the club and earn the respect of the players, staff and the people. I’m there to do good and be successful. That’s only a few months away, I'm looking forward to getting over to Hull in November.’