Moffo
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Rogers urges league raids
September 8, 2004
WALLABIES fullback and former rugby league star Mat Rogers believes "heaps" of players from his old code could successfully switch to the 15-a-side game as the hunt for recruits for Australia's new professional team begins.
Australian Rugby Union officials this week made no secret they regarded rugby league as a potential recruitment pool to help fill the spots on the new team for the Super 14 competition scheduled to commence in 2006.
The ARU launched a series of successful raids on the rival code in the lead-up to the last rugby World Cup, snaring high quality outside backs, Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Rogers.
The flow of top-notch converts to rugby slowed this year, though top league playmakers Andrew Johns and Braith Anasta were both linked to union.
Asked if he thought other league players had the potential to change codes Rogers said: "There's a heap of them.
"Any of the outside backs could switch over comfortably and any of the five-eighths and any of the halfbacks."
Rogers said he couldn't see why league players would not regard switching to union as a "great opportunity" to come over and play a game that is genuinely international.
"Rugby league isn't breaking any records as far as the way the game is going, they are not expanding and they're staying pretty much how they are.
"I think rugby (union) is certainly a viable option for a lot of the boys playing rugby league."
Sidelined by an ankle injury since the early stages of the Super 12, Rogers will return to action this weekend in a Sydney club game.
It represents his only opportunity to play a competition game prior to the selection of the Wallabies squad for the upcoming northern hemisphere tour.
"I'm certainly not going to go out there and try to be the star, I'm just going to go out there and do the job and do the basics.
"He (Wallabies coach Eddie Jones) wasn't worried too much about the fact I haven't played. He understands I've been playing football since I was four-years-old and not much changes.
"It's pretty much like riding a bike, it's just a matter of getting your hands on the ball enough.
"I've got no match fitness so after five minutes or so I'm really going to be blowing, but that's rugby and contact sports, beat the hell out of each other and struggle to breathe after about 10 minutes."
But Rogers stressed he had built up his general conditioning over the last month.
"I've been doing a lot of bike riding, a lot of boxing and a bit of swimming and plenty of strength work in the gym," he said.
"There's not shortness of a fitness base behind me, it's just match fitness."
AAP
How much of a turd has this guy turned into???? Dirty mouthpiece for a dirty bunch of bastards......
Cheers,
Moffo
Read this......
Email this report
Print this report
Subscribe to Sportsmail
Rogers urges league raids
September 8, 2004
WALLABIES fullback and former rugby league star Mat Rogers believes "heaps" of players from his old code could successfully switch to the 15-a-side game as the hunt for recruits for Australia's new professional team begins.
Australian Rugby Union officials this week made no secret they regarded rugby league as a potential recruitment pool to help fill the spots on the new team for the Super 14 competition scheduled to commence in 2006.
The ARU launched a series of successful raids on the rival code in the lead-up to the last rugby World Cup, snaring high quality outside backs, Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Rogers.
The flow of top-notch converts to rugby slowed this year, though top league playmakers Andrew Johns and Braith Anasta were both linked to union.
Asked if he thought other league players had the potential to change codes Rogers said: "There's a heap of them.
"Any of the outside backs could switch over comfortably and any of the five-eighths and any of the halfbacks."
Rogers said he couldn't see why league players would not regard switching to union as a "great opportunity" to come over and play a game that is genuinely international.
"Rugby league isn't breaking any records as far as the way the game is going, they are not expanding and they're staying pretty much how they are.
"I think rugby (union) is certainly a viable option for a lot of the boys playing rugby league."
Sidelined by an ankle injury since the early stages of the Super 12, Rogers will return to action this weekend in a Sydney club game.
It represents his only opportunity to play a competition game prior to the selection of the Wallabies squad for the upcoming northern hemisphere tour.
"I'm certainly not going to go out there and try to be the star, I'm just going to go out there and do the job and do the basics.
"He (Wallabies coach Eddie Jones) wasn't worried too much about the fact I haven't played. He understands I've been playing football since I was four-years-old and not much changes.
"It's pretty much like riding a bike, it's just a matter of getting your hands on the ball enough.
"I've got no match fitness so after five minutes or so I'm really going to be blowing, but that's rugby and contact sports, beat the hell out of each other and struggle to breathe after about 10 minutes."
But Rogers stressed he had built up his general conditioning over the last month.
"I've been doing a lot of bike riding, a lot of boxing and a bit of swimming and plenty of strength work in the gym," he said.
"There's not shortness of a fitness base behind me, it's just match fitness."
AAP
How much of a turd has this guy turned into???? Dirty mouthpiece for a dirty bunch of bastards......
Cheers,
Moffo
