ARU play down Rogers switch

[The EnForcer]

I don't think that's a fair comment to say he hasn't played with all the dedication and respect he possibly could have (excluding Del - a pure idiot). He's been on the brunt of position changes like everyone else since Jones has gone and I guess he's feeling a bit over it. Plenty of people on this site have said similar things!!!

He lost his father and maybe he see's going back to league will mean less travel and more time with his family - the latter something a lot of people on this site can also align with.

I agree he hasn't been in the bestest of form recently, but is that a sign of his lack of dedication? I do not believe so, most of his team mates have been struggling the past 6 games while the team figures out where they are and I don't think that is a sign of their lack of dedication either!

I don't doubt the dedication Happy, what I do doubt is the loyalty. Why should these guys bounce across to Union, where they are clearly after the limelight and money, and bounce back when it all becomes too hard? I know that Roger's has had a tough time personally but I've been through it and I'm sure many other people in similar circumstances have. It's not an argument for running back to the comfort zone.

It is clear from resent experience that the league players are "one dimensional" and are not showing the tactical skills required at top level Rugby Union. This being said, the blame can be firmly placed on RU management as it is them who allow this to happen. We should be nurturing our RU boys not looking around for alternatives to create the quick and easy fix. In the long term it is in RU's best interest to stick to its own.

Happy, I fear your view has been coloured powder blue.

[Burgs]

There is now talk of Gerrard joining them too

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...-23217,00.html

.

[Happy]

Ahh mate, rest assured I do try to stay impartial but yes I am a pea heart powder blue supporter !!!

[James]

Let them bugger off I say- I mean face facts Lote will be too old come 2011, Rogers really isn't the best Wallaby in an position (by quite a long shot too might I add) and with Mark Gerrard- he's a winger where Australia has plenty of talent. I'd be more concerned about a deeper issue within the playing group that is causing those three rats to want to jump off the ship.

I would also like to say that Wendell is a complete disgrace and doesn't deserve to have an opinion about anything.

I agree with the EnForcer that RU shouldn't poach league stars (this does not apply retroactively to Ryan Cross- haha). Australian U/19s won the World Championship this year, A U/21s did pretty damn good too and the IRB 19s and 21s awards had 3/6 Australian players. No shortage of talent if you put the effort in.

[Iris]

I hate the very idea that someone after fame and money should take the position of a guy who had been playing and dreaming of playing for the wallabies since under 9s.
Rugby may not have the fan base of league, but here in Sydney, an afternoon at Sydney uni watching the boys, on a picnic rug, sipping wine far outweighs the desire to go and watch westys and rapists. So if thats where those boys want to be, let them go, if the ARU put more money into development instead of buying leaguies we would be far better off.

[Moses]

sure you just "sip" the wine iris...

[Happy]

I hate the very idea that someone after fame and money should take the position of a guy who had been playing and dreaming of playing for the wallabies since under 9s.
Rugby may not have the fan base of league, but here in Sydney, an afternoon at Sydney uni watching the boys, on a picnic rug, sipping wine far outweighs the desire to go and watch westys and rapists. So if thats where those boys want to be, let them go, if the ARU put more money into development instead of buying leaguies we would be far better off.

A point which UglyBob raised a few months ago .. on one hand I agree.. on the other I understand why they do it - the bandwagon fans, the sponsors and the media want instant results, and if it means when the Wallabies are down a kicker and the star of the century league kicker is umming and ahhhing about moving to Union - you see why it happens.

[The InnFORCEr]

You will probably find that Mat at age 9 was playing union and dreaming of being a Wallaby one day, but then the day came when he had to either get a non sporting job or go to league where he could earn a living. I'm sure there were no Wallabies prior to the professional era whose only income came from playing rugby union.

Obviously a different situation exists today.

[inactive]

last night breaking news in NSW on channel tens late night news-

No articles but i will fill you in. Rogers flew back fromt he goldcoast late last night to be by his brothers side who is in a serious condition in hospital (suspected drug overdose). poor fellas had a rough year. im sure he will go now for his families happiness.

[The EnForcer]

You will probably find that Mat at age 9 was playing union and dreaming of being a Wallaby one day, but then the day came when he had to either get a non sporting job or go to league where he could earn a living. I'm sure there were no Wallabies prior to the professional era whose only income came from playing rugby union.

Obviously a different situation exists today.

If that is true, it just proves the point that the lure of money is more important than the game. I know I'm being fairly firm on this point but in the long term it will be better for RU if the players are developed from within. I can't see how you can justify any other position and still love the game.

[frontrow]

And there are a lot of talented young players coming up through the ranks who are solely committed to Union, who are missing out due to the ARU being obsessed with attracting un-tried or "i played when i was young" leaguies...

And to have what we are seeing now, ie the league players all wanting out, well, bugger them, F them off and bring in the lads whose love is for the game, and the Wallaby jumper is thier guiding light, not just another avenue to make a name for themselves...Bring back the pride to play for your country, and the loyalty to the code...

[Burgs]

Rogers returns to the not quite so open arms of the Rugby League press!!!

Return to league is bad news

By Mick Daly
December 29, 2006

SO Mat Rogers is set to be a Gold Coast Titan next season. Well hip, hip bloody hooray. It's certainly not a win for the code or the Titans.

Forgive the cynicism, but Rogers' return to rugby league is good for one organisation only - the Australian Rugby Union.

Since Rogers announced he was quitting the 15-man game, various NRL stakeholders have hailed it a "win" for league.

Sorry, I just don't get it.

Rattle off as many excuses as you like, but some blokes just can't help themselves. Rogers is one of those.

Just look at his off-field record. Drink-driving, nightclub scuffles, constant brushes with officialdom. And they're the incidents we know about.

Is anyone else sick of hearing about his so-called personal problems?

Rogers has had more than his fair share of personal tragedy with the loss of both parents and his brother overdosing on drugs.

But sport, just like life, is filled with heart-warming tales of athletes, such as former Brisbane Bronco Kevin Walters and cricket's Glenn McGrath, who have pushed through unimaginable private pain to achieve success.

On each occasion, they have done so with dignity, class, courage and humility.

Rogers, two months shy of his 31st birthday, now simply needs to get on with it.

He needs to prove his experiences have made him a stronger, better, wiser person.

Rugby league has plenty of loose cannons. It hardly needs another. But that's exactly what the code's about to get.

When Rogers sported a shocking bleach blond hair-do during the 2000 league World Cup, it was embarrassing enough.

You'd have hoped his five years alongside union's private school brigade would have inspired him to clean up his image.

How the Titans believe his signature is a coup is a deadset mystery.

Sure, he will attract plenty of publicity, but what type?

And do they really want a mullet enthusiast with feral tattoos, stud earrings and a seeming desire to ride Route 66 on a Harley as the face of their debut season?

"Oh, but he's a talent. He's a leader. He's got big-match experience. He's just what the Titans need." Really?

To many, Rogers remains a footballing myth, an over-rated and overpaid one, at that.

As an attacking weapon, his best ability in rugby was to use his speed and acceleration to swerve and beat a slow defender one-on-one on the outside.

But the last forwards seen on a league field with the athletic prowess of Matt Dunning or Ollie Le-Roux were trudging on for Deception Bay Bombers in the Brisbane Second Division Northside 2 competition six years ago.

Rogers thought that he was a ballplayer, a playmaker, a creative spark who deserved to wear the Wallabies' No.10 jersey. But he was wrong.

It doesn't help when you catch the ball on your chest, take your first steps sideways, spray your kicks, can't pass from left to right, disregard game plans and arm tackle in defence.

And how many NRL games will he actually complete?

The league season is twice as long as Super 14 and, some would argue, a trillion times harder.

It's a brutal game of survival, played by the finest of physiques, the toughest of hombres, the fiercest of forces.

If the injury-prone Rogers, with his scrawny teenage skateboarder's body, manages more than a dozen NRL appearances, I'll be stunned.

Don't get me wrong. Rogers will offer spurts of value.

He'll score a few tries, kick a few goals, get a few wraps from ordinary league journos who use the scoresheet as the sole indicator of a player's contribution.

But while he might be the Titans' biggest signing, he just could be their greatest weakness.

So welcome back, M-Rog. Hip, hip bloody hooray.

[.X.]

I have said it once - and I will say it again, Matt Rogers in Union was a waste of time and money, he certainly didn't bring anything to the Wallaby Jumper.

Not sure what he will bring to League.

I can feel a song coming one, one more time.

Sha Na Na Na, Sha Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye
Sha Na Na Na, Sha Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye
Sha Na Na Na, Sha Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye

[frontrow]

nice tune exile, na na, oh hey oh woo oh hoo ...my interpretation on sat morning...