ROGERS’ PLEA TO SHARKS
Prior commitment working for Matt
“WIN it for Dad”.
This is the emotional message Cronulla legend Mat Rogers gave Sharks players after their preliminary final victory over North Queensland.
Rogers visited the sheds after the Cowboys’ win and urged the players to lift the club’s first premiership in honour of his late father, Steve.
“Sludge”, as he was affectionately known, dedicated his life to the Cronulla club as a player and administrator spanning two decades.
Rogers senior tragically passed away in 2006 and never got to see his beloved Sharks win a title.
It’s why Mat wanted the current players to know how much a grand final victory over the Storm tomorrow would mean to his father.
“I’d love to see them win it for dad – he would be so proud,” Rogers said.
“He was the heart and soul of the place and he only left to go to St George because the club went into receivership, they couldn’t afford to pay him and he didn’t want to sell the family home.
“The Rogers name is synonymous with Cronulla, but if we are talking about a litre bottle I probably put about 50mil in it. Dad put 950mil into it.”
Rogers attended Cronulla’s preliminary final win over the Cowboys with former teammate Dean Treister, who has flown over from the US to watch the Sharks’ march through September.
The pair bumped into former Sharks forward Gavin Miller post-match, before hitting the sheds to congratulate the players. For Rogers, it was a special time.
“It wasn’t a planned move, but I felt privileged to be in there,” he said.
“You can really see this group of players want success for those fans and past players – you can sense it in the way they talk.
“I also played alongside Sam Tagataese at the Titans and he is one of the best blokes you’ll meet and I’m so happy to see them in a grand final.”
Rogers will attend the grand final with his brother Don and he says the emotion of the occasion is already hitting him.
“I was having a chat with my brother about the Sharks winning for dad and we got teary just thinking about it what it would it mean to him,” he said. “He just loved the Sharks. “You probably don’t appreciate Cronulla until you’re not there. The Sharks fans are just so bloody loyal.
“They’ve just stuck so strong and they’ve never been able to lift the trophy on that final day.
“It has probably been a bit torturous for them at times over the years, but now they have a big opportunity.
“I’m just so proud of what the boys are doing and I know dad would be feeling the same way.” TWICE over the past two years, Cronulla forward Matt Prior has sat down and had a good hard look at himself.
The first occasion was at the end of the 2014 season; his first year at the club and the worst season in 45 years at the Sharks as they finished with the wooden spoon.
“That was a turning point for me, I didn’t start the year off well and I remember saying to myself as the season wound down that if I want to keep this job, I’m going to have to work hard for it,’’ Prior said.
“I made a decision then to try and turn things around.
“I said; ‘I’m not going to have days off, I’m going to train on my days off, I’m going to keep busy, I’m going to keep working to keep this dream alive.’’
But by the end of the 2015 season, Prior still wasn’t satisfied. Simply training hard and often didn’t cut it for the 29-year-old, who made his NRL debut in 2008.
Ridding alcohol from his life was a vital sacrifice and key component to his confronting self-analysis and incredible surge in 2016 form.
“I made a decision in the off-season last year that I’m not going to drink much anymore,’’ Prior said.
“I haven’t drunk in five months now. It’s just something that I wanted to address in my life and cut out. Not that it was ever an issue, I just wanted to put more focus on my football.
“I wanted to improve myself, not just as an athlete but as a person. I found that drinking wasn’t really making me happy, so ever since I gave that up I feel like I’m happier all the time, which has been good.’
“I’ve definitely put a lot more focus on a lot of things in my career, like my diet.
“I’m eating a lot better. Not that I wasn’t before, but I’ve upped it with more proteins, more carbs and just being more conscious of it. ‘’
When commentators and fans look for where and how Prior has produced such a transformation to be spoken about as a Four Nations tour contender the statistics underline his sacrifice.
Since 2015, he’s almost doubled his offloads. Producing 12 offloads in 2015, Prior has provided 21 this year.
Since 2015, he’s tripled his tackle busts – up from nine to 23 in 2016. His tackle-count per game is higher than 2015 and he has conceded less penalties.