Waerea-Hargreaves banned, misses Super League Grand Final

Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, 36, has been handed a three-match ban by the Rugby Football League for a Grade C head-contact offence after a tackle on St Helens winger Jon Bennison in Hull KR’s semi-final; Bennison subsequently failed his HIA. The suspension, which includes carryover penalty points, rules him out of Saturday’s Super League Grand Final against Wigan and is likely to mean he has played his final professional game as he had planned to retire at season’s end. Waerea-Hargreaves joined Hull KR on a one-year deal after a long career with the Sydney Roosters, made 18 appearances this season and helped the club to the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield. Hull KR are expected to contest the charge before the Tuesday midday deadline in a bid to have their captain available at Old Trafford. The RFL panel graded the contact as serious despite there being no on-field penalty or action from the video referee, and Waerea-Hargreaves’s lengthy judiciary history (reported 38 past charges and 30 games missed) underscores his reputation as a frequently cited player.