Hull KR superstar recruit Jared Waerea-Hargreaves on his options and if he is open to longer stay

Hull Kingston Rovers' superstar recruit Jared Waerea-Hargreaves has said that he did not contemplate any other offer - and is open to playing again in 2026.

Former Sydney Roosters and New Zealand star Waerea-Hargreaves had his first day at his new club on Wednesday, having signed a one-year deal for the 2025 season. Rovers development coach Shaun Kenny-Dowall - one of his former Sydney Roosters and New Zealand team-mates - was an important part of the move, as the prop ended his long association with the Roosters.

Asked if there were other options, Waerea-Hargreaves replied: "It's funny you say that. My daughter asked me yesterday when I was driving whether Hull KR was the only option for us to come to. And I said 'it was the only option'. I obviously have a great relationship with Shaun - he's one of my best mates - but the amount of good stories and comments I've heard about Willie (Peters) as a head coach, and as a man, and from what I've experienced in the last 12 months, it was always KR. I never, ever contemplated talking to other teams or anything like that. As soon as Shaun mentioned to me last year if it was an option, it was always KR."

READ MORE: Hull KR enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves on Super League discipline plan and Hull derbies

READ MORE: Hull KR can move on to next step of renaming postal address to Phil Lowe Way

Questioned on whether he is preparing for 2025 as if it his last year or if he is open to going around again in 2026, he replied: "I'm open to it. But I've told my wife - she is obviously the boss - and we'll see how it goes. So far it's been great. Hopefully it continues to be great. As long as my wife and kids are happy, then we'll see what the future holds."

Waerea-Hargreaves has been speaking to Peters over the course of this year and had breakfast with him recently and he has found that the pair have similar life values - such as being a good person, working hard and enjoying that at the same time. The former NRL star commented that he has been impressed at how Peters cares about his work, his players and the people he represents.

He is looking forward to working with stars such as Mikey Lewis - who he has heard about from Victor Radley - and New Zealand centre Peta Hiku, who he has gone on tours with, and he is also looking forward to forming new relationships with other players.

After sampling Craven Park for the first time as a Rovers recruit, he said he can see why players love playing there - and added that he is motivated to go out a winner on this side of world.

On a big move for him and his family away from Australia, he said: "I've been to England many times on tours but to bring the family, the kids out of their comfort zone, I was a little bit nervous, a little bit anxious, but also at the same time really excited to leave our home and what was comfortable for us to come over here and experience something totally different. It's been such a warm welcome so far and it's only been a week. It's really exciting.

"For us as parents, you just want to enjoy some quality time with your kids. This week we've already done so. I've done 450 miles in the car so far and my wife wouldn't even do that in six months in Sydney so just spending that quality time together, settling in in the house.

"It's a great opportunity for me to share my experience and start pre-season and earn the trust and respect from the players, to build relationships. I'm looking forward to learning and also sharing what I have got to offer."

Waerea-Hargreaves has been keeping an eye on Rovers' progress from afar, explaining how he watched their home semi-final win over Warrington Wolves. He said: "I was getting up pretty early to watch with my kids and my wife actually came into the living room and I was two or three metres from the TV watching, standing up. And she was like 'woah'. She could clearly see me getting ready. It was exciting.

"I just want to be a positive addition to what this club has been building. They've got a great culture here and I want to be a great addition to that.

"We do what we do to be successful. I've come here with clear intentions to work hard and be successful. It'll be a good challenge."

Click here - Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel