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VERSATILE Gold Coast Titan Mat Rogers is coming to Cairns with a mission - to make the Gold Coast five-eighth jersey his own.
The dual international will get no better chance to showcase his skills alongside halfback gun Scott Prince than in Saturdays NRL trial match against the North Queensland Cowboys at Barlow Park.
The Titans yesterday named the 32-year-old in a side brimming with talent and experience. But coach John Cartwright said locking in a halves combination remained a big concern. "All the good sides halves, fullback and hooker, they touch the ball the most weve got to try and settle on a combination in those four spots," he said. "But Mat and Scott are my ideal halves pairing. Mat has been training the whole summer there they have built up a pretty good combination on the training paddock."
Rogers wants to make a permanent home in the position but will compete with potential
pivots Ashley Harrison, Josh Lewis and Preston Campbell. Harrison missed out on a starting spot for Saturdays match but Cartwright said it should not be viewed as a snub. "Its our strongest squad available. We are taking 25 up there and giving everyone a fair crack to stake their claim," he said.
The Cowboys also have question marks of their own in the halves in the search for a replacement for injured halfback Johnathan Thurston. Anthony Watts, Jackson Nicolau and Ray Thompson are among the players in line to partner new recruit Travis Burns. The Cowboys are set to name their side today, with both sides to arrive in Cairns on Thursday.
Titans team to play the Cowboys: Preston Campbell, Matthew Peterson, Luke ODwyer, Brett Delaney, Jordan Atkins, Mat Rogers, Scott Prince, Luke Bailey, Nathan Friend, Michael Hodgson, Anthony Laffranchi, Mark Minichiello, Luke Swain. Interchange: Daniel Conn, Aaron Cannings, Ian Donnelly, James Stosic, Josh Graham, Ashley Harrison, Smith Samau, Clint Amos, Brenton Bowen, Kris Kahler, Ben Jeffery, Shannon Walker.
We've had some good rain here over the last few days (it's raining as I type this). The size of that GC squad is interesting. Obviously, they're not bothering with the new interchange rules.
There's two arguments. One is that they need to trial different players and combinations. The other is that they need to prepare for the season and to me, that would mean adjusting to NRL conditions.
Still cranky there's no formal country carnival. Kudos to the clubs that have taken their games to the country but it should be mandated by the NRL.
