After seeing the inside of a surgeon's office and removalists van more times than he'd care to remember over the last several years, Robbie Rochow has finally found a home at the Wests Tigers.
With a horror injury run in his rear-view mirror and at his fourth NRL club in 18 months, the former NSW Country Origin representative is ready to make good on his potential.
For Rochow, coach Ivan Cleary's offer to bring him to Concord wasn't just a career lifeline when he had no other contract offers.
It's also a chance to play sustained and consistent football, something he's rarely been able to do over the course of his rollercoaster career.
After departing Newcastle at the end of 2016 following a rotten string of injuries, he signed with South Sydney.
When his stint at Redfern didn't work out last year, he made a mid-season move to Melbourne, however he was already signed to the Tigers for 2018.
"Once you've been around the NRL, you know a coach can't guarantee you anything," Rochow said.
"You just have to do your job over the pre-season, if there's an opportunity, there's an opportunity.
"All pre-season I just wanted to compete."
Rochow has taken his opportunity with both hands and started in all three of the Tigers' opening games.
Having played just 22 games between 2015 and 2017, Rochow is enjoying the chance for sustained time on the field.
After breaking his left arm in 2015 he suffered a recurrence a year later.
Just when he hoped to get back on the park in 2016, he tore his pectoral muscle off the bone on the same arm.
"I wouldn't say I'm cursed but I'd say they're all related," Rochow said.
"The first (broken arm) was unlucky, the second time was because I had a plate in there.
"And then when I tore my pec it was because I hadn't done enough work on my right arm and I came back and I played sooner than I was ready to.
"One leads onto another sometimes."
Share
