“ I’d met (AFL brand
manager) Tom Noble, he was great, we had all these
really obscure bands we liked in common. And I got
to go out on Telstra Dome and have a kick,” he
said.
The musical career of Tim Rogers
is well documented. Since the early 1990s, You Am
I has been one of Australia’s most successful
bands, fronted by the energetic Rogers.
He is also
a huge Kangaroos fan – hooked
on the game from the moment his Dad turned on the
1975 Grand Final to see the Roos’ first premiership.
“ That was the first game
I remember watching. Dad sat down and told me this
is a good club and this is one you should be watching,” he
said.
Rogers was regularly exposed to
Australian football growing up in WA and SA, but
found it harder when his family eventually settled
in Sydney.
“ When we moved to Sydney,
it became more difficult but I played for Pennant
Hills U17s as a dopey full-forward who could take
two grabs a game but still keep his place in the
side,” he said.
Despite a decade of steady touring
with You Am I that took him to the four corners of
the world, Rogers has shared some special moments
with the Kangaroos over the past decade.
“ With my Dad being a Bomber
man, we’ve seen a lot of North and Essendon
games. They played some great games in 1999, 2000
and 2001,” he said.
“ I flew in from Perth
the morning of the match in 2001 when North kicked
12
goals in the first quarter. We went down, but I was
so proud of the club that day.
“ It’s not
always about the big victories, although the 1999
Grand Final
was brilliant, it was the first Grand Final I went
to with my wife.”
Now living in Melbourne, Rogers
plans to make-up for lost time and see as many games
as possible.
“ The biggest disappointment
was that I never got to see a game at Arden St. I
missed out on so much until I moved back to Melbourne
in 1998,” he said.
“ With the touring this year
(with his new band The Temperance Union), my agent
is a mad Collingwood supporter and he understands
the importance of it all so we’re trying to
arrange the tour around the footy.”
The 2004
Toyota AFL Premiership Season Launch, supported by
the City of Melbourne,
will be held at Federation Square and Birrarung Marr
in Melbourne on Thursday, March 18 from 5pm.
Highlights
include a performance from Greg Champion (6pm), a
presentation of all 16
AFL club coaches and captains (6.30pm), a free concert
featuring Tim Rogers (7.45pm) and a fireworks display
(8.30pm).
www.afl.com.au
Wed 10 March, 2004
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