JWH retires

[Bates]

Was always so good to fans when ever running into him or when attending training sessions/fan days. Always very approachable, polite and happy to have a chat. He was seen as a grub by fans from other clubs but they clearly didn’t see how he was away from the game.

One of the all time greats of our club

The Big Dog was always one of the last players to leave the fan days.

[Batemans Bay Rooster]

His aggressiveness always got the headlines but he was so much more than that. Great on his feet and the hands of a 5/8.

Very few props play 300 games, to do it the way he did is an incredible feat. He makes the Roosters greatest 17 of all time without question, and makes any and every best NRL era rep side from all teams in the comp. We don't need to have the inevitable compared to Artie discussion again, but goodness me if Artie was better, Artie must have been something else. And it must be a pretty close finish, at worst. Artie played 130 games for us.

As Roosters fans we are so lucky to have been able to watch Jared for so long, and for him to be so good. Imagine how the opposition forwards would have felt, having to try and get over the top of Jared? Very few ever did. Jared would identify the leader of the other pack, usually their best and/or toughest forward, and just go after him. And make a big deal about doing it, and get the spotlight on it, almost like he was creating a diversion for the rest of our forwards not to have to worry about that player, and to have a bit of freedom.

[Mickie Lane]

The roughest, toughest, dirtiest, grubbiest & best front rower the Roosters have ever had, an absolute warrior.
I spoke to him a few times whilst he was playing for our great club & he was such a friendly nice bloke.
I love him.

[Funky Chicken]

My two favourite Roosters of all time JWH and Mozza, both absolute mad men on the field and total gentlemen off it.

Apart from being enforcers, they always epitomised the team first mentality and looking out for the bloke beside you.

I used to smile every time someone would call JWH a grub, because I would always follow it up with the question 'would you feel that way if he played in your team?" and almost every person would be 'Oh no, I'd love him if he played for my team" .

Enjoy retirement champion!!

[The Lip]

End of an era. The hard men of NRL