As he prepares for his 300th NRL game, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will run out with the rare distinction and special pride of never having been dropped in his 15 years at the Sydney Roosters.
And that speaks volumes at a club as stacked as the Roosters.
Much has been made of Waerea-Hargreaves' impending milestone, given the uncompromising brand of football the Kiwi international has played en route to his triple century.
Of the 49 players who have previously reached 300 matches, only one stood out to Roosters coach Trent Robinson as having played the game with as much fervour.
"It's probably only him and I think (former Cronulla captain) Paul Gallen, those guys that've played 300 games where they're just brutal from start to finish," Robinson said ahead of Friday's grudge match with South Sydney.
But what is perhaps just as remarkable is that Waerea-Hargreaves will have played all but six of his 300 games at a club where overflowing depth has become a punchline.
Derided by rival fans and pundits for their "salary cap sombrero", the Roosters have had six different forwards earn State of Origin selection and four others picked for New Zealand during Waerea-Hargreaves' time at the club, not including hooker Jake Friend or JWH himself.
All 10 of those players spent varying levels of time in the middle of the park throughout their careers.
But despite the competition for spots, Waerea-Hargreaves has never once been "dropped" to reserve grade in 15 seasons at the Roosters.
"It's been a pleasure to coach him for that long," Robinson said.
"I was lucky enough to be here as an assistant coach when he arrived. To watch him grow throughout that time. it's probably rare to see someone hold onto that fire for as long as he's held onto it."
Robinson was reminded of his side's overflowing depth naming his team to face Souths at Allianz Stadium this week.
Former NSW representative Angus Crichton, overlooked for selection in the opening fortnight, replaces the highly-rated Siua Wong after impressing in reserve grade.
Robinson put Crichton's previous inability to crack the starting side down to pre-season form.
"He just got outplayed in the trial (against Manly)," Robinson said.
Meanwhile, Connor Watson makes his return from a knee injury that ruled him out of the entire 2023 season and will start on the bench as the Roosters' utility.
It's taken Luke Keary suffering a concussion for Watson to make his comeback via the bench, with interchange utility Sandon Smith promoted to the starting side.
"I've got about 23 or 24 guys who are really high quality and probably could be playing every single week," Robinson said.
"They're always tough calls; you end up hiring and firing someone every single week. It's uncomfortable but we have to do that."
