Golfing Rooster prefers GF to Open
The sight of Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves taking to the first tee at a British Open would be enough to make St Andrews' Royal and Ancient choke on their Haggis dumplings.
His hulking 108kg frame, tribal tattoos and menacing death stare is intimidating enough on the rugby league field.
But the grand final's most frightening player has revealed he very nearly went down the gentleman's path of professional golf.
Waerea-Hargreaves currently plays off a handicap of four but, as a junior, the multi-talented athlete had to make a very real decision about whether to whack the cover off golf balls or human beings.
The 21-year-old Kiwi international might have been capable of cultivating an aura and a fairway drive to match the Wild Thing himself, John Daly, but he doesn't regret making the choice which has paved the way for him to inflict pain on St George Illawarra in the premiership decider.
In a similar mould to Happy Gilmore, Waerea-Hargreaves freely admits he was bringing rock and roll to the pristine quiet of the golf course.
The monster front rower had a few anger issues on the fairways and when he hits Dragons players with everything he's got on Sunday, you'll gain an insight into how his clubs would feel every time they were wrapped around a tree.
"I had the choice at an early age (which career to pursue) and just found playing rugby league was my go," he told AAP.
"I used to break too many clubs here and there so I used to get in a bit of trouble but it was all good."
Happy Gilmore and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves's unhinged aggression are pretty much on par, but the main difference between the two is that Adam Sandler's film character was a failed hockey player - as opposed to the Roosters hit-man, who has the league world at his feet.
The other point of difference, of course, is it seems Waerea-Hargreaves can putt as well, and he'll be hoping to just "tap in" for a premiership ring on Sunday.
Right now his mind is on the biggest challenge of his sporting life, but following his league career, Waerea-Hargreaves is keen on swapping studs for spikes and giving pro golf a genuine crack.
"You know, there's always options open and I'm just happy I played it at a younger age so who knows, maybe one day," he said.
"The lifestyle and the money wouldn't be bad!
"But now I'm playing in a grand final and I just can't wait to get out there."
Post a comment about this article
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.