Michael Forshaw (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Cronulla Sutherland Rugby League team entered the first-grade competition in 1967. Naturally, as a young teenager I spent many a Saturday and Sunday—as I am sure you did, Acting Deputy President Hutchins—barracking for our local team the ‘Sharks’, at Shark Park. It took a few years, but by 1973 we had a team that could challenge for the premiership. We managed to get some of our locals back from St George, promoted a number of outstanding local juniors and signed up a couple of English great imports in Tommy Bishop and Cliff Watson.

In 1973, a young 18-year-old local junior who was playing in Queensland at the time joined the Sharks. His name was Steve Rogers. In that same year he went on to play in the grand final against Manly—probably the toughest that has ever been played—and at the end of that year was selected to be in the Kangaroos touring team. His opponent in that grand final was the legendary Bob Fulton, one of the game’s recognised ‘Immortals’. Bob Fulton said of Steve Rogers, or ‘Sludge’ as he was nicknamed:

Sludge was one of a very rare breed in the game—the player who could do everything. I rate him the most naturally gifted player I played with or against.

Steve Rogers was the complete football genius. In over 40 years of avidly watching Rugby League he was one of the greatest players I ever saw. To the Sharks fans he was our local hero, our local legend. The statistics are impressive: 232 first-grade games, 202 of them played for the Cronulla Sharks. Total points scored: 1,374. He still holds the club record at Cronulla of 1,253 points. Steve Rogers played 21 games for New South Wales, including the first ever State of Origin match. He represented Australia in 21 tests and three World Cup matches. He captained Australia. He won the prestigious Rothmans Medal and the Dally M award. He was named as one of the three Sharks inaugural Immortals.

But, as impressive as these statistics are, they do not do justice to his life and career. Steve Rogers had natural talent and class that was simply a pleasure to behold. He had the speed and acceleration of Reg Gasnier, he tackled like John Raper and Ron Coote and he kicked goals like Keith Barnes. He could change the course of a game in an instant, like a Wally Lewis or an Andrew Johns. But he also played the game as it should be played: fairly and decently, with skill and class and enjoyment and sportsmanship, both on and off the field.

Steve Rogers was one of those rare individual footballers who mesmerised the opposition and crowds alike. He brought joy and pride to the Sharks and to the shire and entertained the wider Rugby League world. Johnny Raper, arguably the greatest ever Rugby League player, said:

He was a terrific guy and a freak of a footballer. He was more than a champion; he goes into the Immortal status.

Sadly and tragically, Steve Rogers passed away on Tuesday, 3 January this year. He was only 51 years old. In the days that followed, the circumstances and the cause of his passing have been written and speculated about at length. Two days after Steve’s passing, his son Mat Rogers, himself a dual Rugby League and Rugby Union international and another Cronulla legend, publicly acknowledged that his father had been suffering from depression. I intend to speak at another time about this important issue, particularly in my capacity as a member of the current Senate Select Committee on Mental Health. Many have spoken of how they never saw any indication of Steve’s difficulties. Rather, they saw a person who loved life and enjoyed a good time. His nickname of ‘Sludge’ apparently came from his first experience of the delights of beer!

While Steve Rogers experienced the joys and accolades that go with playing sport at an elite and international level, he also had more than his fair share of personal sorrow and tragedy. His career was seriously interrupted in the first game of the 1985 season when he was injured in a vicious head-high tackle that left him unconscious and with a broken jaw. It took him a year to recover. He never played for the Sharks again. He went to play out his career in England the following year but only played one game before breaking his leg. He never played Rugby League again. Even more sadly and tragically, both his parents passed away from cancer. In 2001 his wife, Carol, also died after a long struggle with cancer. Despite these setbacks, Steve Rogers continued his association with Rugby League, most recently as general manager of the Sharks team. He also started an annual golf day to support cancer research by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Sydney Children’s Hospital. He was an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Foundation and helped to raise over $200,000 in recent years for that worthwhile cause.

Like thousands of people living in the shire and elsewhere, I was privileged to have met Steve Rogers on a number of occasions. One of the highlights of my many years of following Rugby League was two years ago when I spent an evening over dinner with Steve Rogers, Steve Mortimer, Russell Fairfax and a small group, listening and discussing the game and their careers. Steve happily and generously did the same with scores of fans. He was always delighted to give his time to the old fans down at the club who had seen him play for the Sharks or to the young kids who came to the games and who dreamed of wearing the black, white and blue.

A memorial service was held for Steve Rogers at the Sutherland Shire Christian Centre on Saturday, 7 January. Over 1,000 people packed the centre. Thousands more lined the streets as the funeral procession passed by. Legends of the game, including the Immortals, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Bob Fulton and Graeme Langlands, stood alongside the fans as they paid their respects and openly shed tears. Steve Rogers died tragically and much too soon. But he brought joy to those who saw him play and were privileged to meet and know him.

After the reputation of Cronulla and the Sutherland Shire was so severely damaged by the cowardly racist violence of last December, the people of the shire came together on 7 January and paid tribute to a person who represented what is best in our society—dedication, excellence, courage, leadership, fairness and respect for others. Many wonderful tributes have been written about Steve Rogers, but I want to refer to just two that I believe stand out. Firstly, in the Australian, on 4 January, Ian Heads wrote:

So Steve ‘Sludge’ Rogers didn’t get the nickname his talent deserved, didn’t get the golden ending in football he deserved—and as of yesterday’s jolting news didn’t get the long life he had undoubtedly looked forward to.

But within the game, as the seasons pass, he will be long remembered with great affection. His mate and centre partner Cronin yesterday called him “the complete footballer”, which succinctly summed him up.

The tributes will come best of all in the quiet words of fans who can say with pride: “I saw Steve Rogers play.”

Most appropriately, there was a poem in the tribute booklet for Steve Rogers that was provided at the service held on 7 January. The poem was titled Friends and was written by his late wife, Carol, before she passed away with cancer four years ago. The poem is just four verses, and I will read it because I think it is such a fitting tribute to Steve Rogers.

I often sit in my world alone

then I think for hours.

I think of life and the things it brings

my friends, their love and flowers.

I sometimes cry when I am sad

if things start going wrong.

I’m glad my friends are there to help

they help me be strong.

But one by one friends they leave

they all seem to be going away.

There’s so many things we haven’t done

and so much I wanted to say.

I like to sit in my world alone

to think of my friends in the past.

I look at their smiles in photographs

and hope that my memories will last.

The life and career of Steve Rogers and the pleasure and support he gave to so many will long be remembered.