COL Hogan expects a warm reception when he returns to Young today as part of a rampaging Albury Steamers forward pack.
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The 22-year-old played a key role in the Blue and Golds’ 38-7 demolition of Wagga City last week — his 193-centimetre, 115-kilogram frame smashing its way through defenders in the middle of the park.
But he played his junior footy with the Yabbies, stepping up to first grade when just 17.
Hogan is likely to start in the second row today but expects to “wear a few from his old mates” along the way.
“I’m sure they will be happy to see me, equally sure they will be looking to get a good hit on me at some stage,” he said.
“Clearly the talk from back home is they have great numbers at the club this year.
“It is certainly going to be interesting after they beat CSU last week and the Reddies beat us in the round before that.
“But the Steamers is a great club, a great bunch of blokes and we’ll rise to the challenge.
“There is just this confidence at the club, confidence in each players’ ability and as a team.”
Hogan, now working on a cattle farm at Jindera, played rugby league in the Woodbridge Cup last year but decided he wanted to return to his union roots.
“I just wanted to play again and turned up at the start of the year at Murrayfield,” he said.
“The coach (Mick Raynes) said if I kept working I would get a chance but I was surprised to be picked in a pack with so many good players.
“Even after losing Dave Cooper-Dunn we have a stack of forwards who have already or could play first grade.
“I just have to keep on delivering — I like to run the ball and will take every opportunity to hit it up the middle.”
And Hogan knows a bit about delivery after the recent birth of his first child.
His partner followed him to Wagga for the game against Waratahs at the start of the season even though she was beyond the due date.
“She was there 41 weeks pregnant and on the sidelines, I was sure it was going to happen at some stage in the game,” he said.
“But we figured we were closer to the hospital there than we are at home and the club physio was keeping an eye on her.”
The Steamers travel to Cranfield Oval today without veteran front rower James Kora and hooker Jean Laurent Pozzobon to take on a Young team that beat CSU last week.
Also missing from last week’s winning team are wingers Tom Sullivan and Liam Crowley.
But the Steamers will welcome back Ash LeFevre and Tom Rowan into the pack for the clash with the Yabbies.