Playing football at 61 years of age no problem for Ngukurr Football Club’s amazing ‘Forever Man’

THEY call Keith Rogers the “Forever Man’’ at Big Rivers Football League club Ngukurr and it’s not hard to see why after 54 years of kicking a football

Ngukurr utility Keith Rogers is 61 years young and raring to go after 54 seasons of getting his hands around an Australian football. Picture: PAUL AMARANT

THEY call Keith Rogers the “Forever Man’’ at Big Rivers Football League club Ngukurr and it’s not hard to see why after 54 years of kicking a football around.

The Bulldogs utility turns 62 in September, but he has already set his sights on another decade running around in his side’s red, white and blue colours.

His longevity in the game caught the attention of Hawthorn legend Shaun Burgoyne this week, who rang Ngukurr coach Paul Amarant to offer his veteran a new pair of football boots.

“I’ve got quite a bit left in me to keep playing the game,’’ Rogers told the NT News when asked how long his playing career would extend to.

“Maybe when my heart gives up or my lungs go I might think about it, but I don’t smoke cigarettes or take drugs so I reckon I can play for another 10 years.’’

Already a legend in a Ngukurr community that lives and breathes the game of Australian football, Rogers first kicked a ball in competition aged seven.

“It’s always been pretty easy playing footy, it’s hard to catch the young blokes sometimes, but once I’ve got them I don’t let them get away and they know that,’’ he said.

“You can chuck me anywhere, I’ll get a kick and give it 110 per cent and I tell the young blokes in the team the same thing, you’ve got to be fair dinkum.’’

Rogers is a lifetime Bulldog, except for stints “down south’’ when he was studying to work with radio.

“I’m a radio man, I work on TEABBA (Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association) radio where a lot of people know me in Ngukurr and everywhere else,’’ he said.

“I’ve got five kids from one (woman) and five from another and all of them play footy.

“And I follow the mighty North Melbourne from when I was working at Kormilda College after catching a glimpse of Brett Allison taking a screamer.’’

Ngukurr coach Paul Amarant said fitting Rogers into the side every week is an assignment he is not looking forward to.

“We’ve got a lot of good players in the side, so it’s going to be hard to guarantee him a game every week,’’ Amarant said.

“But he’s turning up at training and doing all the hard work and he’s not a thorn in our side, he gets out there and has a go.

“And he’s a good leader on the field, he talks to the young blokes and tells them where to get to and growls at them if they do the wrong thing.’’

Amarant said Rogers continued to amaze and thrill people in his community and around the Territory with his giant appetite for the game.

“For an indigenous person at 61 years of age to be still running around in a very good A-grade competition is unbelievable,’’ he said.

“He’s not playing Masters or SupeRules footy, he’s playing in a competition of class players with plenty of pace around and big bodies in opposition sides like the Katherine Camels and Katherine Souths.’’

The opposition know Rogers plays a tough game of football, as they saw in the Bulldogs’ Round 1 win over Souths.

“He took a mark and a Souths player came in, grabbed hold of him and started pushing him around by the jumper,’’ Amarant said.

“Keithy just went bang, gave the bloke a tap on the side of the face to let him know he wasn’t going to put up with it and the umpire had a bit of a smile on his face when let it go, which was a great thing.’’

Rogers will be feted at next week’s clash against the Kalano Bombers in Katherine where a big media presence from Darwin will descend on Kalano’s ground just outside Katherine.

The Ngukurr team will make their standard 600km round trip to the town in two troop carriers.

“The AFLNT is going mad with cameras at the ground, so we’ll let Keith lead the side out and toss the coin,’’ Amarant said.

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