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From today's CT:
Raiders centred thanks to Mogg
Rugby league By Bevan Hannan
Friday, 16 July 2004
The intense off-field focus on the National Rugby League's trading period has deflected recent attention from a problem that has troubled the Canberra Raiders for the last 10 years.
Not since Mal Meninga retired in 1994 have the Raiders been able to find a long-term centre. They have tried plenty, but no-one has been able to seize the position for an extended period.
Until now.
During the Raiders' present three-match winning streak right-centre Adam Mogg has been heavily involved in almost half of Canberra's tries. It is no coincidence that all the wingers who have spent time on Mogg's side of the field - Phil Graham, Matt Gafa and Nathan Smith - have scored tries.
Senior player Clinton Schifcofske said Mogg had been the Raiders' "unsung hero".
"I feel sorry for Moggy because he doesn't get a lot of the wraps he deserves," Schifcofske said. "He'll probably tell you himself that, to start off the season, he wasn't playing that well after he had a really good off-season.
"Personally, I was expecting really big things of him and I think he was, of himself, as well. I think he put a little bit too much pressure on himself.
"But the last two months I think he has been our best player. He has won three or four players' player awards. If I was a winger, I'd definitely want to be outside him.
"At the start of the season we were all like that. We were a bit shaky but a lot of guys are starting to come into their own at the moment. Once you get one or two real good games under your belt, blokes around you are playing with confidence and it starts to rub off on you as well."
Mogg, 26, is a Caloundra junior who joined the Raiders via Parramatta last year. His role as the quiet achiever has not been lost on coach Matt Elliott.
"I'd like him to be noisy," Elliott said. "He didn't have a lot of fluency in his season last year. He is still really young and in only his second full season of first grade. But I think that he is at a point where he has come to terms with it.
"My expectation is he will become a dominant player."
The Raiders received a boost for tomorrow's trip to Penrith with back-rowers Jason Croker (neck) and Terry Martin (hip) both declared fit.
Martin missed one round with injury while Croker hurt his neck in the Raiders' last start victory against North Queensland. Jason Bulgarelli and Todd Carney are likely to be omitted from the six-man bench and drop back to Premier League. Much has been said about half-back Craig Gower and centre Ryan Girdler returning from lay-offs to the Penrith line-up, but Elliott is also pleased with his settled combination.
"I noticed our opposition has named a near-full strength squad," Elliott said. "I don't think we'll be far off either."
Raiders centred thanks to Mogg
Rugby league By Bevan Hannan
Friday, 16 July 2004
The intense off-field focus on the National Rugby League's trading period has deflected recent attention from a problem that has troubled the Canberra Raiders for the last 10 years.
Not since Mal Meninga retired in 1994 have the Raiders been able to find a long-term centre. They have tried plenty, but no-one has been able to seize the position for an extended period.
Until now.
During the Raiders' present three-match winning streak right-centre Adam Mogg has been heavily involved in almost half of Canberra's tries. It is no coincidence that all the wingers who have spent time on Mogg's side of the field - Phil Graham, Matt Gafa and Nathan Smith - have scored tries.
Senior player Clinton Schifcofske said Mogg had been the Raiders' "unsung hero".
"I feel sorry for Moggy because he doesn't get a lot of the wraps he deserves," Schifcofske said. "He'll probably tell you himself that, to start off the season, he wasn't playing that well after he had a really good off-season.
"Personally, I was expecting really big things of him and I think he was, of himself, as well. I think he put a little bit too much pressure on himself.
"But the last two months I think he has been our best player. He has won three or four players' player awards. If I was a winger, I'd definitely want to be outside him.
"At the start of the season we were all like that. We were a bit shaky but a lot of guys are starting to come into their own at the moment. Once you get one or two real good games under your belt, blokes around you are playing with confidence and it starts to rub off on you as well."
Mogg, 26, is a Caloundra junior who joined the Raiders via Parramatta last year. His role as the quiet achiever has not been lost on coach Matt Elliott.
"I'd like him to be noisy," Elliott said. "He didn't have a lot of fluency in his season last year. He is still really young and in only his second full season of first grade. But I think that he is at a point where he has come to terms with it.
"My expectation is he will become a dominant player."
The Raiders received a boost for tomorrow's trip to Penrith with back-rowers Jason Croker (neck) and Terry Martin (hip) both declared fit.
Martin missed one round with injury while Croker hurt his neck in the Raiders' last start victory against North Queensland. Jason Bulgarelli and Todd Carney are likely to be omitted from the six-man bench and drop back to Premier League. Much has been said about half-back Craig Gower and centre Ryan Girdler returning from lay-offs to the Penrith line-up, but Elliott is also pleased with his settled combination.
"I noticed our opposition has named a near-full strength squad," Elliott said. "I don't think we'll be far off either."
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