NRL 2022: Matt Lodge opens up on leaving Broncos and finding peace at the Roosters
In this exclusive interview Matt Lodge opens up about his split from the Broncos, the New York rampage and why the Roosters were the only club that could help him find peace.
Matt Lodge says he has finally found peace in life and football at the Roosters, seven years after his infamous New York rampage and turbulent stint at the Broncos that taught him valuable lessons about fitting in at a Bondi club with “no egos”.
One of the most remarkable resurrections in rugby league will continue when Lodge plays his 100th NRL game in Sunday’s sudden-death blockbuster between the Roosters and South Sydney at Allianz Stadium.
Just four months ago, Lodge had seemingly hit his final dead-end in the NRL. Unwanted by the Broncos, then mutually terminated by the Warriors after a bust-up with owner Mark Robinson, the controversial prop was in limbo in May.
When he turned out for a second-grade Brisbane rugby side, playing alongside a pack of park amateurs, it appeared to be the final nail in his NRL coffin.
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Yet, remarkably, in the space of 113 days, here he is, revelling in a Roosters lifeline that could finish with the unfathomable - an NRL premiership ring - if the resurgent Chooks continue their irrepressible September surge.
Given his chequered history, Lodge accepts he has his haters. When the Roosters signed him to a short-term, $100,000 cut-price deal, those who will never forgive and forget slammed the club for putting faith in Lodge.
But as he prepares for an NRL century he never expected, in his ninth game for the Roosters, Lodge says he has found a sweet simpatico with the Tri-Colours … and a coach, Trent Robinson, that sees the good in him.
“I love the culture of the Roosters,” Lodge says.
“I love that everyone is here to work hard and get better.
“Some of the best talent in the game is here, yet there are no egos; no one wants to impress anyone else but their teammates and earn their respect within the club.
“It’s a little old school or how it used to be. Everyone is so focused on getting better, working hard and preparing to win football games.
“They are pretty tough lads and I love that.”
In his short time at the Roosters, Lodge has found a comfortable niche.
In a way, the Roosters, with their coterie of big names and superstars, are the perfect place for Lodge, who knows his role and how it helps the team.
Lodge has a simple job - run hard, hold the midfield - and he gets it done. No fuss. No glory. It’s a team-first ethos driven by Robinson, who, with his intellect, cool-head and measure, is seemingly everything the emotive and fiery Lodge isn’t.
But the pair have clicked.
“Trent cares about people. If my son was ever a player he would be my first pick to coach him,” Lodge says.
“I love footy and some people say I understand it pretty well, or have a good footy IQ, but I genuinely learn something every day here from Trent. A part of me feels like I wasted so many years of my career not being here earlier. But everything in life has a purpose. I’ve learnt some valuable lessons sometimes the hard way.
“I believe there’s two types of people actually - those that will look and judge you forever by an action or a mistake. And those that can think deeper, understand things, and realise people can change … that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
“I’ve seen him do that for not only me but lots of other guys.
“Nick Politis (Roosters chairman) has also been a big influence on giving me a chance. I’m grateful and thankful for his support, it’s inspiring what he’s helped create at the Roosters.”
Lodge’s reflections are a reference to the worst chapter of his life - his wild night in America in 2015 when he was arrested at gunpoint by New York police after a drunken rampage through a family’s apartment.
Aged just 20 at the time, Lodge spent two weeks in Rikers Island prison. He was eventually allowed to return home, but not without paying a significant sum in compensation to his American victims, who had a young child.
The incident has hung over Lodge like a black cloud. When the Broncos threw him a lifeline in 2018, the NRL world went into meltdown. In his first game for the Broncos, he was booed for 80 minutes by Dragons fans at Kogarah.
The spite, venom and incessant invective could have broken Lodge. Instead, he remains standing, his 100th game a tribute to his mental toughness.
“To be honest from the minute I stuffed up that night I knew I’d give back and do whatever it took to get back to the game I love,” he said.
“There were times and obstacles where it seemed impossible to get back in the NRL.
“I grew up getting in trouble with the law from a young age. Fighting, partying, being arrested. Out west (in Sydney) was a rough area and I was a young kid finding my way.
“Now I want to be a role model, especially to those kids that start off shaky and are seen as ‘bad boys’. “As a kid, your life experiences shape you and how you act, but with good support and your own dedication you can get back on track.
“To reach 100 games, I can stop and respect myself for sticking at it. Those early years, coming back, were super intense and I’m a lucky man that I had my partner Jess and my kids holding me at night and keeping me on track.
“I had multiple times shedding tears on my partner’s shoulder thinking it was just too hard and feeling like the whole country hated me. I definitely developed some anxiety from the thinking that anywhere I went people were staring and judging me.
“I don’t think many people would understand just how much heat and scrutiny I was copping in those early days returning to footy.
“I’m proud of myself in a way, as it did require a lot of resilience to block it out and do my job for the team.
“There were some tough times alone with my own thoughts and so much regret about my mistakes.
“I’d have hours upon hours wishing I could change certain decisions but I’ve since learnt that’s a trap because you can’t. The past is the past, but you can always create a better future. The other alternative to sticking at it was giving it all away.
“I remember so clearly as a kid and young adult, no matter what was happening in my life and how bad it was, the footy field was my happy place.
“Somewhere where, for 80 minutes, I didn’t have a worry in the world.
“I feel like I’ve finally let it all go and I am enjoying my life again. I’m in a big family house, I’ve got two kids and one on the way with a beautiful partner.
“I will finish my uni degree at the end of this year and now I love my work environment, so I’m a lucky man.”
The surprise at the Roosters lifeline is partly fuelled by the circumstances surrounding Lodge’s exit at the Broncos.
Lodge played some outstanding games for the Broncos in his 65-match stint. At one point, former Broncos staff proposed he captain the club. The board vetoed the move because of his rap sheet, believing Lodge as captain would represent a PR disaster for the club’s sponsors, and when Kevin Walters was appointed coach in September 2020, he couldn’t wait to get rid of the controversial prop.
The Broncos were so keen to offload Lodge they gave him a staggering $1.5 million payout to get out of town.
“Me and ‘Kevvie’ didn’t know each other and I knew he couldn’t look past what I had done and didn’t think I belonged at his club in his culture,” Lodge says.
“That’s why I admire guys like Wayne (Bennett) and Trent (Robinson). They were prepared to give me a chance.
“I’ll always appreciate what the Broncos and Redcliffe did for me. I don’t think many other coaches could have endured the backlash so I’ll always be thankful to Wayne and Peter Nolan (former Broncos football boss) was like a dad to me.
“I worked so hard for those first couple of years in the NRL. I basically played for free (to fund compensation for his American victims) and I finally earned a five-year deal.
“I loved the Broncos. I felt I owed them and was prepared to play my whole career there.”
Many of Brisbane’s Old Boys, particularly former skipper Gorden Tallis, were savage in their assessment of Lodge, who claims Walters’ hot-and-cold treatment left him confused.
“The old boys of Brisbane are very publicly opinionated more than any other club.
“I guess they’re proud, and a lot never took to me being signed, let alone being asked to captain the club,” Lodge said.
“They were all Kevvie’s mates and I knew if he got the job I was gone, even if I was playing well. I knew it wasn’t footy related.
“Kevvie got the job and he rang my agent within the first day to move me on and said he would pay whatever it takes.
“In the end, I sat down with Kevvie at least five times (to discuss his future).
“Each time he changed his mind, and that repeated through the pre-season and premiership games, right up until the day I signed my papers to leave.
“My head was just gone. It was a tough day leaving the Broncos, but I knew my time there was up. It’s a brutal game and when your heart’s not in it playing for your coach, you are as good as retired.
“I wish I didn’t let my Broncos teammates see how upset I was about being told to move on because you end up becoming a negative energy. I’ve got some great mates there and we keep it touch.
“It ruined the reputation I had of putting my body on the line playing and training hard. And always valuing the team first. I wish I could have kept that internal and not let my teammates see my emotion.
“But I’ll always have a soft spot for the Broncos and hope they get success … unless I’m playing against them.”
If the Roosters lose on Sunday, Lodge has no idea what it means for his future. The 27-year-old is a free agent for next season. Based on his recent form, the Roosters may just crunch the salary-cap numbers to find a beefed-up deal to keep him as a partner-in-crime for Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves.
“I’ve always admired the club and I was so close to joining them multiple times over the years,” he said.
“When I quit the Warriors it was totally unexpected. I didn’t have anything lined up. But I promised myself I would rather not play than accept a deal I knew wasn’t the right one for me.
“Money genuinely wasn’t a factor. I played those first few years at Brisbane for free to pay my debts. I was broke with a young family.
“I had lost the love of footy through being in environments where I knew people within couldn’t let go of my past and didn’t respect me from things I done as a young bloke.
“I wanted to wait for the club coach and playing group I knew was perfect for me.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me after some tough seasons, but I’m just present in the moment and enjoying every week at the Roosters.
“I’m so happy I backed my gut feeling … and that the Roosters backed me.”
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