January 15: Rogers returns from rugby; Jennings a Rooster

On this day, trouble brews in the Kiwis camp, Mat Rogers returns to league and Michael Jennings becomes a Rooster.

1987

Greg Inglis was born in Kempsey. One of the modern greats of the NRL era he played in 39 Tests for Australia and 32 Origins for Queensland after controversially electing to represent the Maroons ahead of NSW after moving to Brisbane as a teenager.

Inglis made his NRL debut as a teenager with the Storm in 2005 and played 117 matches with the club in a six-year stint which ended when the club was forced to shed stars due to its salary cap breaches. He starred for Melbourne in their grand final wins in 2007 and 2009, winning the Clive Churchill Medal in the first of the two premierships which were later stripped.

After joining Souths in 2011 he helped transform the club into premiership contenders and scored a try in their memorable grand final win of 2014. Equally adept at fullback, wing, centre and even five-eighth over the course of his career, "GI" retired early in the 2019 season after battling a series of injuries in the latter stages of his career.

1996   

Veteran halfback Craig Coleman signs with Western Suburbs after paying out his Super League contract.

2000   

The Wests Tigers score a morale-boosting 48-22 win over fellow joint venture team the Northern Eagles at Leichhardt Oval in both clubs’ first trial match.

2002   

Test coach Chris Anderson returns to Australia eight weeks after suffering a heart attack during the third Test between Australia and Great Britain. He intends to mix his responsibilities as Test coach with his new job at the Sharks, but rules out applying for the NSW State of Origin job.

2007   

The drawn-out battle over the services of Melbourne winger Steve Turner is finally resolved when the Gold Coast agree to release him from his contract. “It would have been devastating [to leave],” Turner said. “I feel like I’ve come all this way with the Storm and leaving now would have been really hard to handle.” 

Storm rookies Smith Samau and Daniel Isaac are “traded” to the Titans as compensation for the loss of Turner. The Titans counter the loss of Turner with the signing of former Wallaby Mat Rogers to an extended deal, which includes the 2007 season.

2008   

New Zealand captain Roy Asotasi launches a blistering attack on Test coach Gary Kemble, claiming the players “have no confidence” in Kemble’s coaching. Kiwis’ director of football Graham Lowe says Asotasi faces the sack as Test captain.

2013   

Penrith centre Michael Jennings officially signs with the Sydney Roosters in a four-year deal reportedly worth $2 million. The move costs Jennings his place in the NRL All Stars team.

2014   

Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson insists that premiership-winning captain Anthony Minichiello will remain at fullback in 2014, despite the claims of Kiwi international Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.

2020  

Former international Mark Harris loses his battle with cancer at the age of 72. Harris was a pivotal figure when the Roosters broke a 29-year premiership drought to win the 1974 grand final against Canterbury.

This article contains information from the official records of NRL historian David Middleton