Rogerson makes late push for new deal
There were days when Logan Rogerson wondered if his chance would ever come.
His contract was up at the end of the A-League season and he was beginning to get impatient.
‘‘It is pretty hard when in 21⁄2 years now I haven’t kicked on from when I signed,’’ Rogerson admitted yesterday.
He regularly sought advice from the coaches. He asked plenty of questions, mainly around what was required to get into the matchday squad.
‘‘I was always talking to the coaches about what I needed to do and it obviously didn’t help that there’s been a lot of changes with the coaches and different opinions, you know different coaches have different perspectives on me and my game. But that’s that football, it’s a cut throat industry.’’
The chance came eventually, when the squad was depleted during an international window, and Rogerson gladly took it.
The 19-year-old has emerged from the wilderness to score twice in the past two games for the Wellington Phoenix – not bad for a kid who had played just 44 minutes prior to his first start against Brisbane Roar a fortnight ago.
The first was the header against the Roar, then he had the confidence to step up and take the penalty, which he won, in Friday’s 3-1 loss to Adelaide United.
‘‘I think the first one’s always the hard one. Once you get that one out the way you can take a breather and relax,’’ he said. ‘‘The second goal I won the penalty and said ‘why not? I’ll take it’. Two from two, I’m happy.’’
Although Matija Ljujic asked for the ball, Rogerson ushered his team-mate away and said this one’s mine.
‘‘Growing up my dad said if you don’t know where you’re going to put it then the keeper doesn’t, so I just thought of my dad’s words when I stepped up. I had seen a few of his [Paul Izzo’s] penalty saves and he always dives so I thought if I smack it quite hard down the middle he’ll never save it. I thought the odds were with me there.’’
Although there has been no communication from the club about a new deal – the Phoenix want to have a new coach on board to make those decisions – Rogerson’s goalscoring exploits have done his chances of a contract
extension no harm.
‘‘I think I’ve done pretty well on that aspect but I’ve got two more games and I don’t want to just settle for two goals, I want to score more and get a few more assists, and then we’ll see what happens.’’
Rogerson’s team-mate Tom Doyle said it was great to see another New Zealand player making a statement late in the campaign.
‘‘I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I’m a big advocate of those boys coming through and playing A-League football. It’s a massive
opportunity in the next two weeks for them to show what they’re all about and to keep getting contracts for the next season coming,’’ Doyle said.
‘‘I think it’s awesome for New Zealand to see the talent coming through. The season hasn’t going the way we wanted it to, everyone knows that, but in terms of the Kiwi players coming through it’s something I love seeing and the more Kiwis in the league the better.’’
The Phoenix are away to Melbourne Victory on Sunday.