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Banned
Rogers takes huge pay cut in move to NRL
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 - 6:57 PM
Dual international Mat Rogers will take a massive pay cut when he returns to play rugby league for the Gold Coast Titans in 2008.
But the 30-year-old has told club officials he has "unfinished business" in the NRL and always intended going back to the 13-man game after hopefully playing in next year's Rugby World Cup in France.
It's understood Rogers will receive $300,000 a year from the Titans - a big drop from the $650,000 the Wallaby utility gets from the Australian Rugby Union.
Rogers told reporters on the Gold Coast on Wednesday he wanted a fresh start following the death of his father and former rugby league Test centre Steve in January and believed he couldn't achieve that in Sydney.
"His father hated that he played union," a source close to the Titans camp said on Wednesday night.
"He wasn't a big fan at all. It's more around the fact that his old man would've wanted him to come back to rugby league."
Rogers, who switched to rugby in 2002 after playing rugby league for Cronulla, Queensland and Australia, will take up a two-year deal in 2008 with the Titans.
"It's a great opportunity to start afresh," said Rogers, whose partner Chloe Maxwell gave birth to son Max in June.
"It's been a tough 18 months for me and this is a great way to kick off a new part of my life.
"I'm just looking forward to coming back to the Gold Coast. I spent some of the best years of my life here growing up (as a teenager)."
The Titans say there aren't worried about Rogers' bad run of injuries following a recent Sunday Telegraph newspaper report showing he had been sidelined for 37 of 118 games for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs.
Rogers has been hampered by ankle, rib, knee, face and groin injuries since leaving the NRL four years ago.
"Mat has been unfortunate (with injuries) but in the early part of his career he didn't have any drama at all," Gold Coast coach John Cartwright noted.
"He's had a bit of a spate but it's not a concern for me at all."
The Titans also aren't too fussed that Rogers will be 32 when he makes his first appearance for the club.
"He's an absolute freak of a player and it's fantastic to get him back into our game," Titans chief executive Michael Searle said.
"It's a similar philosophy to (Great Britain international and Titans recruit) Brian Carney - it's not about the age of the person it's about the miles that are in the legs."
The Titans agreed to terms with Rogers a month ago following discussions with NRL chief executive David Gallop.
It's understood club officials told Gallop they were keen to snare either Rogers or fellow Wallaby back Lote Tuqiri, who indicated on Wednesday night he was keen to return to league one day.
"I think he always intended coming back to rugby league," Searle said about Rogers, who has played 41 rugby Tests and seven rugby league Tests for Australia.
"The offer he's accepted is substantially less than what he would've got in the other code and I think that's testament to his stage in life where he wants to get back and play the game with us."
Rogers said he didn't give ARU powerbrokers the chance to try and talk him out of quitting rugby union.
"I made my mind up ... and the last thing I wanted to do was get in a bidding war and pit one (faction) against another," he said.
ARU chief executive Gary Flowers added: "It is a mark of Mat's integrity that he did not try to play the ARU off against the Gold Coast in an attempt to push up his value.
"He is a champion player and a great bloke, and we totally respect his decision."
What you people think of this?
Wednesday, September 13, 2006 - 6:57 PM
Dual international Mat Rogers will take a massive pay cut when he returns to play rugby league for the Gold Coast Titans in 2008.
But the 30-year-old has told club officials he has "unfinished business" in the NRL and always intended going back to the 13-man game after hopefully playing in next year's Rugby World Cup in France.
It's understood Rogers will receive $300,000 a year from the Titans - a big drop from the $650,000 the Wallaby utility gets from the Australian Rugby Union.
Rogers told reporters on the Gold Coast on Wednesday he wanted a fresh start following the death of his father and former rugby league Test centre Steve in January and believed he couldn't achieve that in Sydney.
"His father hated that he played union," a source close to the Titans camp said on Wednesday night.
"He wasn't a big fan at all. It's more around the fact that his old man would've wanted him to come back to rugby league."
Rogers, who switched to rugby in 2002 after playing rugby league for Cronulla, Queensland and Australia, will take up a two-year deal in 2008 with the Titans.
"It's a great opportunity to start afresh," said Rogers, whose partner Chloe Maxwell gave birth to son Max in June.
"It's been a tough 18 months for me and this is a great way to kick off a new part of my life.
"I'm just looking forward to coming back to the Gold Coast. I spent some of the best years of my life here growing up (as a teenager)."
The Titans say there aren't worried about Rogers' bad run of injuries following a recent Sunday Telegraph newspaper report showing he had been sidelined for 37 of 118 games for the Wallabies and NSW Waratahs.
Rogers has been hampered by ankle, rib, knee, face and groin injuries since leaving the NRL four years ago.
"Mat has been unfortunate (with injuries) but in the early part of his career he didn't have any drama at all," Gold Coast coach John Cartwright noted.
"He's had a bit of a spate but it's not a concern for me at all."
The Titans also aren't too fussed that Rogers will be 32 when he makes his first appearance for the club.
"He's an absolute freak of a player and it's fantastic to get him back into our game," Titans chief executive Michael Searle said.
"It's a similar philosophy to (Great Britain international and Titans recruit) Brian Carney - it's not about the age of the person it's about the miles that are in the legs."
The Titans agreed to terms with Rogers a month ago following discussions with NRL chief executive David Gallop.
It's understood club officials told Gallop they were keen to snare either Rogers or fellow Wallaby back Lote Tuqiri, who indicated on Wednesday night he was keen to return to league one day.
"I think he always intended coming back to rugby league," Searle said about Rogers, who has played 41 rugby Tests and seven rugby league Tests for Australia.
"The offer he's accepted is substantially less than what he would've got in the other code and I think that's testament to his stage in life where he wants to get back and play the game with us."
Rogers said he didn't give ARU powerbrokers the chance to try and talk him out of quitting rugby union.
"I made my mind up ... and the last thing I wanted to do was get in a bidding war and pit one (faction) against another," he said.
ARU chief executive Gary Flowers added: "It is a mark of Mat's integrity that he did not try to play the ARU off against the Gold Coast in an attempt to push up his value.
"He is a champion player and a great bloke, and we totally respect his decision."
What you people think of this?
