TURVEY Park recruit Alex Rogers is confident a win for his new club isn't far away, adamant the young Bulldogs' passion for the contest will eventually reap dividends.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The key forward kicked four goals in last week's 71-point loss to Leeton-Whitton, while Brad Ashcroft booted five.
AFL Riverina's only winless team faces another tough test this Saturday when they host a Mangoplah-Cookardinia United Eastlakes outfit fresh from a solid win over Osborne.
Rogers, 26, was named the Northern Jets' best and fairest in 2017, and was part of Coolamon's 2013 premiership team.
He spent last year with South Cairns, who lost last year's AFL Cairns grand final to Port Douglas by 34 points.
Originally set to play for East Wagga-Kooringal this year, the Hawks' withdrawal from the competition opened the door for Turvey Park to pounce.
"I'm loving my time here. We've got a lot of young kids and we're missing a few older heads in our team, but it's an opportunity for the young kids to step up," Rogers said.
"It hasn't been hard to keep the young guys motivated. They're just happy they're playing footy this year, and getting a few more games under their belts."
The Bulldogs have endured their fair share of adversity with co-coaches Mark Carroll and Jeremy Sykes opting not to take part due to safety concerns.
They have been replaced by Josh Ashcroft and Chase Grintell, with the latter influential in luring Rogers to Maher Oval.
"When the Hawks decided not to play I called Chase Grintell as I knew he was playing out there this year. I was pretty keen to get a game somewhere this season," Rogers said.
"I kicked four (last week) and we're slowly starting to get organised up there. I think our forward pressure is letting us down at times."
Rogers is looking to build on a superb year up north, where he was named most consistent for South Cairns.
He said the team won't focus too much on a Goannas side expected to be bolstered by a few quality inclusions this week, including goal kicking machine Trent Castles after AFL Riverina's strong recommendation against Border-based residents taking part was quashed.
"I don't know too much about Mango to be honest, we're just looking at our game," he said.
"We've been putting on reasonable scores on the board and applying good pressure around the field, we just haven't been able to keep that up for a full game."
A third straight loss would almost certainly put paid to the Bulldogs' hopes of making the top four in the six-team, six round competition.
READ MORE
