Cronulla players ask to wear Steve Rogers tribute
Margie McDonald
January 05, 2006
CRONULLA players will ask the club and the NRL if they can wear an embroidered tribute to Steve Rogers on their jerseys this season to remind them of his determination to bring a first premiership to the southern Sydney club.
Brett Kimmorley, the Cronulla captain and halfback, went through the tragedy of losing a much-loved club official when he was with Melbourne Storm.
Team manager Michael Moore, described by foundation player Robbie Kearns as the heart and soul of the Storm, died when he fell into Auckland harbour, hitting his head on a cement pylon after a game against the New Zealand Warriors in February 2000. Moore, 35, was married, with two young children.
On Tuesday the Cronulla players, club and community woke to the news that their beloved former player and chief executive had died, aged 51.
The Sharks were back training yesterday and Kimmorley described the mood in the gymnasium as "extremely sad".
When Moore died, his name was embroidered on the Melbourne Storm jerseys for the rest of the season, Kimmorley said.
"I hope we can put something on our jerseys for Steve that will remind us of him throughout the year," Kimmorley said.
Both he and club chairman Barry Pierce said there would be a tribute to Rogers at the club's home ground, Shark Park.
There are already numerous photographs of Rogers in the leagues club's bars, bistro and board room. "The bloke has been here for so long," Kimmorley said. "We've got David Peachey's hill and the ET (Andrew Ettingshausen) stand, and Sludge Rogers is probably the greatest Shark we've had, so it would be very fitting to have something."
"We're going to miss his passion for trying to win that first premiership."
Rogers played 202 first-grade games for Cronulla, 19 for NSW and 21 for Australia.
Phil Bailey who, like Kimmorley and Rogers, played for NSW and Australia, said all the Cronulla players were in shock but would use Rogers as extra motivation in 2006.
"Everything he did was striving for our first premiership," Bailey said. "If anyone wanted it, he wanted it the most and dedicated his life towards that."
Rogers' rapport with his players will also be missed. "He let the coach do all the pre-game stuff but after the game he was the first to come and shake your hand and have a beer," Bailey said. "He was a man's man."
Kimmorley, who joined the Sharks in 2002, was eager to feed off Rogers' experience.
"Not many chief executives come out on the training field and try to help players with a few tips," Kimmorley said.
"He didn't mind getting his hands a bit dirty and give lessons and try to help players individually. That's how I remember him, as a very caring bloke about the players and very caring about the club and the community."
The club flag flew at half-mast yesterday and the leagues club's neon sign flashed the words: "Vale Steve Rogers".
