AFL Draft 2023: Jake Rogers says Gold Coast Suns’ belief in him fueled standout season

Jake Rogers has spent his whole life preparing for the AFL and having already tasted the worst of it, has his eyes on a round 1 debut.

Jake Rogers is proof that talent and dedication will get you to where you want to go.

As recently as a decade ago it would have been almost unheard of for a player of his stature to be considered a prospective first round draft selection.

Now, it would be a shock if his name is not among the first few called on Monday night.

Considered by many to be the cleanest and classiest player in the draft, Rogers compiled one of the most impressive campaigns in the country this year.

He averaged 25 disposals and six tackles for the Suns Academy, 22 touches and five tackles for the U18 National Championships-winning Allies and was named best on ground for the AFL Academy in its one-off clash against Carlton’s VFL side.

Standing 172cm, Rogers will be one of the shortest players in the AFL once he is drafted. And yet there isn’t a list manager in the AFL that wouldn’t love to call his name.

Jake Rogers had a stellar 2023 year that helped rocket him up draft boards. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

It’s the product of 18 years of hard work, self-belief and never listening to the few voices that told him he couldn’t do it.

“I did get that a little bit, it’s always there in the back of your mind,” Rogers told this masthead.

“But I’ve always played up in age groups – played against older and bigger players, played a lot of senior footy so going against the bigger bodies doesn’t really phase me.

“It’s just extra motivation when people doubt you for those things.

“When I was 14 I really started taking it serious. When I turned 17 is when the State and Academy stuff started to ramp up. From there I looked at things and thought, ‘I think I have a chance (of being drafted)’.

“Last year I thought I had a really solid season and that set me up for this year.”

Put simply, you cannot ignore good footy. And Rogers is good at footy.

It’s why the Suns have spent all off-season shuffling their draft hand to build a bank of selections capable of matching an early bid on its quartet of Academy stars – Rogers chief among them.

Likened to Dayne Zorko and Touk Miller for his incredible skills, work ethic and ability at stoppage, Rogers could follow a similar path to the former and start his AFL life as a small-forward.

“Round 1 is always in the back of your mind – that’s going to be my goal,” he said.

“Hopefully I can start as a small forward and gradually get more midfield minutes. That would be my ideal world.”

Suns Academy player Jake Rogers (fourth from right) trains with the senior squad during pre-season. Photo: Gold Coast Suns

The Broadbeach Cats product hails from the same Gold Coast club as Zorko and immediately drew comparisons to the five-time Brisbane Lions best and fairest winner.

Last year his QAFL coach at Broadbeach, Craig O’Brien, urged the Suns not to let Rogers slip – as they had done with Zorko more than a decade ago.

By then the Suns already knew they had a star in their midst. It’s why they invited Rogers to train with the AFL side last pre-season.

He credits that experience as a great platform for his standout season.

“It was actually a really good experience getting an opportunity to do a full pre-season with them and getting a taste of how hard AFL life is,” Rogers said.

“They were some pretty solid sessions and pretty hard few months but I guess that sort of set me up for my year and showed me the ropes for what AFL life is like.”

Originally published as AFL Draft 2023: Jake Rogers says Gold Coast Suns’ belief in him fueled standout season