JWH shrugs off grand final sin-bin speculation

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is not biting on pre-match banter that he's the player most likely to get sin-binned in Sunday's NRL grand final.

It took Sio Siua Taukeiaho and Nelson Asofa-Solomona just 13 seconds to be given a 10-minute rest in the Roosters-Storm preliminary final.

Waerea-Hargreaves going at Josh Papalii, Sia Soliola or Joe Tapine in the grand final has a certain anticipation to it.

The fact the Roosters prop has a charge sheet with six offences on it for 2019 – including four trips to the NRL judiciary to appeal his misdemeanours – adds weight to the prospect of him being in the thick of something on Sunday.

Waerea-Hargreaves has just served a one-match suspension for tripping South Sydney centre James Roberts in week one of the finals. He missed the Storm preliminary final because of that.

"You've just got to be better – you've just got to be clear, and not let the emotion get to you," he said, looking ahead to who might be looking for him in the middle of ANZ Stadium.

"Being on the field is more important than being off it. My role is the most important for me this week, and my job for the team is doing my part – doing my best."

And that's not to get into any trouble with Raiders forwards.

"Run hard and tackle hard - it's pretty simple," Waerea-Hargreaves said when asked to describe Sunday's role.

And if anything green tries to pass him, he intends to put them on the ground - effectively.

"Exactly - and just keep going for the full 80."

But in no way he is under-estimating the value of Josh Papalii to the Raiders.

He was labelled the best prop in the competition after his part in the Raiders' 16-10 win over the Rabbitohs in the first preliminary final.

Even that kind of label can't goad Waerea-Hargreaves into trying to prove the critics wrong.

"If you narrow your focus on individuals you pull away from what you should be doing." he said.

"He played fantastically … but for us front rowers at this club it's about laying a foundation so our backs can play off the back of it.

"They're (Raiders) physical; they're big; they're going to give us a good contest on Sunday."

Unlike Jake Friend (calf injury) who was also forced to watch the Storm game, Waerea-Hargreaves sat down on the SCG sideline and not in the coach's box.

"I knew I was going to commentate the whole game so I told the coach 'You wouldn't want me up there'," he said.

"I stayed down with a few of the lads … it was really tough but I'm just so grateful to be here – really proud of our boys.