ARU won't pay for Rogers' neck surgery

[KenyaQuin]

ARU won't pay for Rogers' neck surgery
West Australian 16th November 2007, 13:43 WST

The Australian Rugby Union is refusing to compensate Mat Rogers for a neck operation the Gold Coast Titans centre had undergone on Friday.

Rogers, 31, was forced to dip into his own pocket to find the $22,000 needed for the surgery performed by orthopaedic surgeon Matthew Scott-Young, the brother of former Wallaby Sam Scott-Young, on the Gold Coast.

Rogers is arguing he suffered the neck injury during his first match for the NSW Waratahs in 2002 and has told Titans officials he'll be making a claim to the ARU for compensation.

"He's made no official approach to the ARU," said union spokesman Roger White.

"The ARU has a firm stance on this and they won't be meeting the costs of Mat Rogers' neck operation."

Rogers phoned Wallabies doctor Martin Raftery earlier this week to discuss a possible compensation claim to the ARU and the dual international is being assisted by rugby union players' association chief Tony Dempsey.

If a player can prove he suffered an injury playing elite rugby while contracted to the ARU, the sport's governing body is bound to pay his medical expenses up to two years after retirement.

The Titans are reluctant to comment publicly on the matter but say the NSW Waratahs have the medical records to back Rogers' case.

"If they (the ARU) are prepared to turn their back on the policy just because he went to rugby league, it's a joke," a Titans official said.

Rogers is expected to resume contact work at pre-season training in eight weeks

[brokendown gunfighter]

Isn't he with HBF?

[Burgs]

He should pay the ARU for their neck surgery, to overcome the pain he has been...

[prop53]

right on there i agree

[JediKnight]

How can he prove it was from a rugby match & not one of the many mungo games he's played?

[jazza93]

one of lote`s fines should pay for that

[Burgs]

One of his past or future ones?

[James]

Why the hell should the ARU honour its obligation to him? He never honoured his obligation to the ARU or the Waratahs when he skipped off to the Gold Coast. We owe him nothing... that 'Titans official' clearly doesn't want to fork out the cash themselves and have fabricated this first game for the Waratahs toss.

If it wasn't a problem until he went back to league let league deal with it.

[Burgs]

Let's just get this straight...he played injured from Round 1 (presumably) 2002 through to when he vaporised in 2007, also played many Test Matches, was paid a Kings ransom for his services and is now complaining that he had to "dip into his own pocket" to pay $22k to a Doctor in the know about it being a compo case for a supposedly soft touch ARU Administration???
Rogers, HTFU dude, you got paid virtually that per match, I think you have bled our code dry enough for one lifetime.
Don't bother turning up at reunions either...

[GIGS20]

One question, did he report the neck injury after match one? If not, no claim will stand up anyway. If so, he would need to have been troubled by it every match and training session of his rugby career for the claim to be valid, alos, having played a season of the grapple-tackle code surely would weaken his claim.

Piss off and stop mooching off a game you couldn't play you tosser!

[Harry]

How can he prove it was from a rugby match & not one of the many mungo games he's played?

or trips to the pub. He has been known as the 'tin can man"....... (that's post No. 80 people!)

[hopep]

I think the statute of limitations will deal with it all. If he was injured in 2002 why did it take him 5 years to notice anything?
He's been examined many times by doctors since and said nothing. Stiff bickies sport. Give up playing!

[bort]

comes down to wether he reported he was injured in that game or not and wether he had it properly examined or not at the time. if he did the ARU says it will pay for any injuries sustained by a player within 2 years of them retiring that reasonable evidence suggests was cause playing union so he should be covered. believe it or not some injuries may actually get worse with time *gasp* and so its entirely possible he could play until now when the injury had finally reached a point where the discomfort/pain/risk was to bad that he had to have something done. lil bit suss it suddenly reached that point during off season, but he does still have a year to go before his 2 years is up and so why not get it done at the end of next season, not just as preseason training starts. wether u like it or not as long as hes done what i said at the start he has a good case. just a point of view from someone who doesnt dislike the guy (he and especially his dad are legends of the NRL team i support)

[jargan83]

surely he's kidding himself, injured his neck in his 1st game for the Waratahs in 2002??? and now he wants money for an operation, surely he would have noticed the injury at some stage over the next 5 years?? what a twat

'Titans official' clearly doesn't want to fork out the cash themselves and have fabricated this first game for the Waratahs toss.

If it wasn't a problem until he went back to league let league deal with it.

hit the nail on the head there i think James

[Flamethrower]

Injury no longer a pain in the neck for Rogers
AAP | Thursday, 06 December 2007
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4314248a1823.html


Gold Coast centre Mat Rogers says he would have paid double the $A30,000 ($NZ34,700) it cost for recent neck surgery that has left him pain-free for the first time in five years.

Rogers was forced to foot the bill for the November 16 operation to replace a bulging disc in his neck with a steel prosthesis, despite suffering the injury in his first game of professional rugby in 2002.

The dual international is seeking compensation from the Australian Rugby Union but they're refusing to pay for the operation, which wasn't covered by Rogers' health fund.

Asked whether he held much hope of recovering the $A30,000 from the ARU, Rogers replied: "I don't know mate. You can give them a call for me."

At least the controversial issue of compensation is secondary to the joy of being free of pain and discomfort in the neck heading into the 2008 NRL season.

"I said to the doctor this morning if I knew how I was going to feel I would've paid double (for the operation). It was worth every cent," Rogers remarked at a One Community charity Christmas party at WhiteWater World on the Gold Coast yesterday.

"The neck is still a little bit sore but you'd expect that. The neural and nerve pain has all gone."

After a visit to the surgeon yesterday, Rogers has been cleared to begin light contact work at pre-season training before Christmas and should be fit for the club's season-opener against North Queensland in mid-March.

"The difference in me physically is amazing," the 31-year-old said.

"Previously I was in pain waking up every single morning.

"I became so accustomed to the pain that I thought it was normal before having the surgery.

"I'm so glad I got it done. I'm looking forward to playing some good footy now."

Rogers, bearing a scar on the front of his neck from where the surgeon made his incision, believes he's lucky his career was not ruined by the injury.

"I was speaking to the surgeon this morning and he showed me some pictures of what he did," explained Rogers, who has lost 7kg since the operation.

"It's pretty amazing how much he's opened up the area where the nerves come out to the spine.

"He said to me they had completely collapsed and he was amazed I was functioning as good as I was."

Although the neck surgery has given Rogers a new lease of life in rugby league, he doubted whether he would continue in the NRL beyond his current contract which expires at the end of the 2010 season.

"It would definitely put me in a position where if I wanted to keep playing I would but I've got a three-year contract and I'm pretty happy with that," he said.

"I can't see myself extending beyond there. If I play those last three years then that'll be good."