Staring at an ugly record against Melbourne, the Sydney Roosters know they will have to fight fire with fire as Jared Waerea-Hargreaves gets set to renew unpleasantries with Storm man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Melbourne have had the Roosters’ measure in the last five meetings and you have to go all the way to a late-season game in 2022 when Trent Robinson’s side last conquered the Storm.
The two sides will meet in Friday’s preliminary final at AAMI Park and Waerea-Hargreaves - just one game back from a three-match suspension - will have to roll back the years if the Roosters are to march on towards the grand final.
On the night of their last win over Melbourne, Waerea-Hargreaves was front and centre of a game-defining moment when he stood up to Asofa-Solomona, intimidated him into submission, got sin-binned for his troubles and inspired the Roosters to victory.
"You just see how much passion he had for the team and that competitive nature that he has," said prop Lindsay Collins.
"He brings that out of the rest of us when he does stuff like that because he wants to fight right until the end."
Leading the Storm as they attacked the Roosters’ line midway through the first half, a scrambling Waerea-Hargreaves greeted Cameron Munster with a high shot.
That triggered a melee that led to Asofa-Solomona running in with referee Adam Gee giving both sets of players a dressing down.
But on the very next tackle Waerea-Hargreaves whacked Asofa-Solomona high, put him in a headlock, sparked a new melee, was placed on report and then sent to the sin bin.
Waerea-Hargreaves may have been a sacrifice in battle but it helped the Roosters win the war.
"You’ve got to go after their big threats and fight fire with fire," Roosters teammate Angus Crichton said.
"That’s what Jared has done and that’s what we have to go out there and do on the weekend and replicate that again."
The preliminary final could be Waerea-Hargreaves’ last in Roosters colours and the big prop has kept a low profile in the build-up to the clash, declining multiple requests to speak to the media this week.
It shapes as a potential passing of the baton moment for the Tricolours with Collins under no illusions as to the big shoes he will have to fill when the revered Kiwi enforcer heads to Super League club Hull KR next year.
"I’ve had a bit of time to work with him on that the last couple of years when he’s been out," Collins said.
"It comes with time, training and playing together, so it’s been a long connection.
"Jared has done so much in this jersey and it’s a big motivator to send him and the other boys on a high."
