Mat Rogers

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Mat Rogers (born February 1, 1976 in Sydney and educated at The Southport School) is a current Australian rugby league player and former rugby union player — a dual international. His father was the late Cronulla Sharks legend and CEO Steve Rogers

Rogers played rugby league with the Cronulla Sharks NRL side, State of Origin for Queensland (5 times 1999 to 2000), and for the Australian national side (7 Tests 1998 to 2000) before his switch back to union in 2002. He played at fly half for the Waratahs and started in a number of games for the Wallabies.

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[edit] Schoolboy representative

Playing both forms of the game as a junior, Rogers excelled in union at Queensland's Southport School, a well known rugby union nursery. He played in the Australian Schoolboys representative team, at one point playing opposite a young Jonny Wilkinson, and future All Blacks sensation Jonah Lomu.

[edit] Rugby League Career

After deciding that rugby league was his preferred career path, Rogers joined his father's former club, the Cronulla Sharks. He formed powerful combinations with centre partner Andrew Ettingshausen and later fullback David Peachey. Rogers was an electric and entertaining ball-running Winger during the mid-to-late 90s. He held several pointscoring records with Cronulla being a talented goal kicker and having an ability to score tries from the tightest situations.

He expressed his desire to shift from his position on the wing to either Centre or Fullback, however a serious injury to his shoulder rotator cuff at the conclusion of the Kangaroo's successful 2000 World Cup Campaign destroyed his chance. In 2000 Rogers was awarded the Australian Sports Medal for his contribution to Australia's international standing in the sport of rugby league. After a complete shoulder reconstruction he was restricted to a handful of games during the 2001 season, his final year with the Sharks.

[edit] Senior rugby union career

Following his switch Rogers was an immediate success in rugby union. He made his Wallaby debut with Wendell Sailor in a Test match against France in June 2002. Collectively at that point they became the 41st and 42nd Australian dual code internationals.

His transition has not been without controversy. Several times Rogers found himself the focus of media scrutiny after making comments regarding the state of Australian club rugby in comparison to training for the Wallabies and after an alleged altercation outside a Glasgow nightclub with a fan in 2004.

His initial switch was less than smooth after coach Bob Dwyer revealed that Waratahs and Wallaby stalwart Matthew Burke would be moved from his preferred position of fullback to outside centre in order to accommodate Rogers. His 2004 Super 12 season started brilliantly but a serious ankle injury suffered in South Africa ruled him out of that year's Tri Nations series.

An autobiography Off the Wing, On a Prayer was published in 2002 and written while his father Steve Rogers was still alive and when he was married to Michelle Miller the mother of his children Jack and Skyla. He is currently separated from Michelle and is romantically attached to Australian model Chloe Maxwell, the mother of his son Max.

Starting in the 2005 Tri Nations Series, Rogers was shifted from fullback to play at fly-half following the injury of Stephen Larkham. He continued to play in that position during the 2005 Grand Slam tour of the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe and remained there for the Waratahs for most of the new Super 14 competition in 2006.

Coming on late in the second half in the second test against South Africa in the 2006 Tri Nations Series, Rogers scored a late try which allowed Stirling Mortlock to kick the winning conversion from the left sideline, for a 20-18 win.

It was reported on the 28 August 2006 that Rogers had sustained a knee injury requiring athroscopic surgery and was ruled out of the last test against The Springboks but was fit for the end of year tour.

"I've had (the injury) for a couple of weeks and I was hoping it would have pulled up a bit better than it has," Rogers said. "I'm disappointed to miss out on the Springboks match because I feel that we've got a great chance of winning a Test on their soil, which hasn't been done for a long time."

The Daily Telegraph in 2006 sparked the question of how many games Rogers has actually not participated in due to injuries and quoted the following figures: Rogers has missed 21 out of 61 games for the Waratahs, some due to his father's death at the start of the year. For the Wallabies he has played 41 of 57 matches. Overall he has not played for 37 of 118 games making him a spectator 31% of the time since moving to rugby union.

Rogers was named in the 37-man squad for Australia's tour of Europe. He had been selected to play at fly-half with usual number 10 Larkham playing outside him at inside-centre.

On December 8, 2006, Mat's older brother, Don Rogers, was taken to a Sydney hospital on a suspected drug overdose.

On December 14, 2006 Mat Rogers was released from his contract from the Waratahs and the Australian Rugby Union.

[edit] Return to League

In 2007 Mat Rogers will revive his rugby league career with the new club, Gold Coast Titans in the NRL. There are high expectations within the rugby league community that he will do well back in his preferred code.

[edit] Sources

  • Mat Rogers, Off the Wing, On a Prayer published 2002 by E.S.M Sports Pty. Ltd.
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