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VIDEO LINK
Steve Rogers Tribute(links to www.centenaryofrugbyleague.com.au)

Video Clips - Footy Show tribute to Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks legend Steve Rogers, (November 29, 1954 -- January 3, 2006).
To view just click the Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox_H8dhtyBQ

Stats - STEVE ROGERS

Born: November 20, 1954, Sydney, NSW - Sadly passed away 3/1/06

CAREER OVERVIEW
Games Trs Gls F/G Pts

CLUB CAREER 1971-86
Gold Coast Tigers 1971-72

Cronulla 1973-85 202 82 501 5 1253
St George 1983-84 29 8 42 5 121
Widnes 1985-86 1 - - - 0

TOTAL 232 90 543 10 1,374

REPRESENTATIVE CAREER 1973-83

CITY-COUNTRY 1975-83
City Seconds 1975 1 - - - 0
City Firsts 1976-83 7 6 5 - 29

TOTAL 8 6 5 - 29

NEW SOUTH WALES 1973-82

State of Origin 1980-82 4 - - - 0
v. Queensland 1973-81 15 7 6 - 33
v. touring sides 1977 1 - 1 - 2

TOTAL 20 7 7 - 35

AUSTRALIA 1973-83
Tests 1978-83 21 10 2 - 35
World Series 1975-77 3 2 - - 6
Tour matches 1973-82 27 14 25 - 92
TOTAL 51 26 27 - 133
GRAND TOTAL
All senior matches 311 129 582 10 1,571

Rogers toured with the Kangaroos in 1973, 1978 and 1982.
He played in losing grand final teams for Cronulla in 1973 and 1978.
Rogers won the Rothmans Medal in 1975 and the major Dally M award in 1981.
He holds the Cronulla club record for most points (1,253)

Source: David Middleton, League Information Services

CRONULLA SUTHERLAND DREAMTEAM ANNOUNCED July 2006

Fullback ... David Peachey
Winger ... Mat Rogers
Centre ... Steve Rogers
Centre ... Andrew Ettingshausen
Winger ... Ray Corcoran
5/8 ... Chris Wellman
Half ... Tommy Bishop
Lock ... Greg Pierce
S/r ... Gavin Miller
S/R ... Ken Maddison
Prop ... Cliff Watson
Prop ... Jason Stevens
Hooker ... Ron Turner
Reserve .... Dane Sorensen
Reserve ... Steve Kneen
Reserve ... Brett Kimmorley
Reserve ... Mark McGaw

Australian Rugby League chairman Colin Love also paid tribute to Rogers, describing him as "one of the great champions of the game's post-war years".

"Our hearts go out to Steve's family and many friends," Love said.

"His death at 51 is first and foremost a human tragedy - but it's such a tragedy too for rugby league and for Australian sport.

"Players of such talent come along very rarely in any game - and ours will remember him as one of the great ones."

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Mal Meninga paid tribute to his former teammate on the 1982 'Invincibles' touring party.

Meninga roomed with Rogers on that tour and he added: "He took me under his wing, particularly on the '82 tour, and showed me the ropes, both on the footy field and off the footy field.

"He was a great character, well respected within the team and obviously he reached some really great heights as far as his career was concerned as well."

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Fellow Kangaroo great Brett Kenny paid tribute to his former teammate on the 1982 'Invincibles' touring party.

"I was fortunate enough to play in the Tests at five-eighth and Steve was playing in the centres," Kenny told ABC Sport Down Under.

"It was certainly a great experience for me and a special moment, because of the fact that as a youngster I idolised him and here I was able to play alongside of him."

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NRL chief executive David Gallop described Rogers' passing as "a huge shock for everyone".

"He was an absolute champion of our game and in more recent years a really dedicated official," Gallop said.

"He loved his club. I can well remember going into Sharks dressing rooms - win or lose (and) his passion was there for everyone to see for his club and they must be absolutely reeling (at Cronulla) ..."

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Former St George and Australian teammate Rod Reddy believed Rogers was without peer as a player when at the peak of his powers.

"I probably rated Steve Rogers in the era that I played in as the most complete player there was," Reddy said.

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Bob Abbott rates Rogers as one of the best players the game has seen.

"God had a box of special talents and every now and then he would hand it out," he said.

"Steve just happened to be a recipient ... he had everything.

"He was very akin to Graeme Langlands in that he could play in any position and he had that uncanny foresight to see the game, not to mention speed in attack and power in defence."

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You don't need me to tell you Steve Rogers is not only the best centre in the game... he's the best player.

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I rate him the greatest all-round centre three-quarter I have seen.

Another quote,
You could tell straightaway... the style of him, the way he moved.. he was just unbelievable.
- Tommy Bishop on the young Steve Rogers

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He almost single-handedly put the 13 Steelers on the bus back to Wollongong and thanked them for the two premiership points.
- Tony Adams on Steve Rogers, 1982

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More dazzling than Cronin, a better defender than Gasnier, a goal-kicker not so far short of Brown and Messenger.

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Rod Reddy discussing how he, Steve Rogers and Craig Young disposed of their car on the last day of the 1982 tour. - From Tony Adams Book, The Hitmen.

Many Kangaroo players have bought old cars on tour, and Reddy, Steve Rogers and Craig Young had a bomb on their hands in 1982. At the end of the tour, they had to decide what to do with the vehicle.

"The car had just about had it. It was in such a state the hotel management wouldn't let us park out the front of the hotel. We had to leave it out the back as they reckoned it gave the place a bad name. The day before we left we tipped it into the canal behind the hotel. As it started to go down, the water pressure must have forced the brake pedal down because the back lights came on. As it started sailing down the canal, and as we ran off, we yelled out: There's someone drowning in that car."

I think (Australian Prop) Donny Mckinnon got the blame for that one.

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(Memories of the First State of Origin Clash 1980)

From reserve grade to QLD captain. AND he (Arthur Beetson) lead from the front.

We were standing on the hill at the XXXX brewery end.

Artie came on and the ground trembled under the roar from the crowd. We had been flogged year in and year out by NSW sides containing ex pat Qlders and we were dead set filthy. We sensed it, the crowd sensed it,
the players sensed it....we were seeing something extraordinarily special and we knew we were about to see probably the greatest sporting moment in Qld's history.

It was the end of being walloped.

To see Close and Meninga dominate Rogers and Cronin like they did will stay with me forever.

Likewsie Arthur standing up toe to toe with allcomers..what a night

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