Mat Rogers

The son of legendary Cronulla centre Steve Rogers, Mat Rogers ultimately surpassed his father’s record as the greatest point-scorer in club’s history before leaving the code to play Rugby Union. An Australian schoolboy Rugby Union representative while at private school at Southport in 1993, Mat Rogers was a talented five-eight/centre who followed his heart and joined elder brother Don at his father’s former club. Mat Rogers kicked five goals in the Sharks’ President’s Cup grand final win in 1994 before securing a first grade place on the wing in trial matches in early 1995. An exciting winger with freakish acceleration and resolute defence, Rogers proved a match-winner - finishing off a dynamic attacking movement or landing a goal from the sideline. In 1997 he was selected for Queensland in Super League’s Tri-Series competition, despite the fact that he was born in NSW (Sutherland), played juniors with Cronulla (Engadine) and represented NSW U’19s in an interstate match against Queensland. (Under Super League’s eligibility rules, Rogers qualified for both states and he chose to play for Queensland). The 1997 season ended disappointingly for Rogers and following Cronulla’s loss to Brisbane in the Telstra Cup grand final, injury ruled him out of the tour of Great Britain. In 1998 he emulated the deeds of his father when selected for Australia in the ANZac Test (although a broken hand ruled him out of Queensland’s State of Origin success that year). 1999 again found him in superlative form, gaining selection for Australia (ANZac Test) and Queensland. In the first State of Origin match, Rogers’ late field goal gave the Maroons a 9-8 win after he had already scored all his side’s points (4g). In the next match, Rogers scored a try and two goals in Queensland’s 12-8 loss before limping from the field with a serious knee injury. He made his return three months later, scoring 22pts (2t, 7g) in the 42-20 win against Brisbane in a qualifying final but injury again robbed him of a place in the preliminary final, which Cronulla lost. Rogers finished the year with three Test appearances in Australia’s Tri-series win over NZ and Great Britain, his 14pts (2t, 3g) in the final against the Kiwis proving the difference between success and defeat. In 2000 Rogers scored 24pts (2t, 8g) in Australia’s 52-0 whitewash of NZ in the ANZac Test before equalling his father’s record for most points in a game (26pts – 3t, 7g) and breaking the Cronulla club record for most points in a season (212pts – 18t, 70g) although were surpassed by Brett Kimmorley in 2002. In four appearances in Australia’s successful World Cup campaign, Rogers top-scored with 70pts (including 34 pts in the 66-8 win against Fiji). A shoulder injury that did not respond to rest during the 2001 summer saw Rogers reluctantly go under the surgeon’s knife. Rogers then dropped the bombshell that he had signed a contract to play Rugby Union with the NSW Waratahs, with the express purpose of broadening his playing career beyond that of a winger. (Interestingly, his father Steve had assumed the role of Chief Executive of the Cronulla Sharks but avoided any conflict of interest by excusing himself from the contract negotiations). Rogers returned to play in the last seven games of the 2001 season but the Sharks fell at the qualifying final and one of the brightest stars in rugby league was lost to the rival code. Rogers quickly found his feet at fullback in a reborn NSW team that led the early part of the Super 12s competition and made his RU Test debut in July 2002. Rogers showed glimpses of his brilliance at fullback although he would have been unhappy with his form in the Wallabies’ World Cup final loss to England. A broken ankle in early 2004 saw him miss the majority of the Super 12s season and the early representative matches and he made his return to Test rugby from the interchange bench on the Wallabies’ tour of England and Europe. Rogers was signed by the Gold Coast Titans for the 2008 season – after the Rugby World Cup – but following the death of his father, Steve, and a disappointing European Tour at the end of the year he was released from his Rugby contract to join the newly-promoted club in 2007. Off the Wing on a Prayer (2002).