NRL great Willie Mason has claimed the league will be happy to see the back of Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
Waerea-Hargreaves is facing the prospect of not playing again until late in the NRL finals after being handed a minimum three-match ban for a high tackle.
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After a weekend of drama involving the bunker and match review committee, Waerea-Hargreaves was hit with a grade-two high tackle charge on Monday for his shot on Gold Coast’s Sam Verrills.
The departing Sydney Roosters prop will miss three games with an early plea, or a fourth if he attempts to unsuccessfully fight the charge.
Assuming the Roosters finish in the top four, an early plea will mean Hargreaves won’t play again until the Tricolours feature in a knockout match in week two or three of the finals.
It also means he may only have one more game left in his NRL career, before the Roosters’ most-capped player departs for the Super League.
Mason said he loves the way Waerea-Hargreaves plays, but claimed the NRL will be quietly happy when he departs.
“I love big J, he’s one of my friends, but I swear the NRL can’t wait to see the back of him. The amount of work that he gets the judiciary in,” he told 7NEWS.
“I love watching him play, I’m an old school player, I love seeing Jared, but I know for a fact the NRL will be looking at him and saying ‘you’ve caused us enough’.”
Mason also made his first nomination for the “Willy M” medal — a rival for the Dally M — which will be presented at the end of the season.
“I think the best game on the weekend was the Cronulla and St George game and my man Briton Nikora was outstanding.
“If you’re a young kid at home and you’re a young backrower, watch how he hits those lines from the edge.
“He’s a perfect man to watch. His pace, his strength, the way that he tackles, his leadership. He is one of the best backrowers in the game.”