THE playing career one of the Peel Football League’s most prolific forwards has come to an end with Rodney ‘Rocket’ Tregenza walking away from the game.
Fullbacks will rest a little easier knowing they won’t have to match up on the spearhead in the future with the 36-year-old having slotted more than 1800 goals in his 326-game football career, more than 1000 of them with South Mandurah in the PFL.
At his peak Tregenza was unstoppable; in 2008 he guided South Mandurah to a premiership while slotting 238 goals [including finals] to break the Western Australian record for total goals in a season.
Tregenza, who has been forced into retirement due to knee and hip injuries, said he would have liked to have had one more crack at a premiership with the Falcons - currently on top of the ladder - but it was not to be.
“My brain is not too happy having to give it up, but my body isn’t going to last."
- Rod Tregenza
“My brain is not too happy having to give it up, but my body isn’t going to last,” he said.
“I did my knee in the first game of the year; I was hoping to get back but it didn’t happen.”
Despite not having the fairytale finish, Tregenza said he could look back on his career with fond memories.
“At the time you don’t think about what you’re doing, you’re just having fun,” he said.
“But now I’m done I can look back and look at figures and be proud and thankful of what I’ve done.”
The South Mandurah Football Club will celebrate Tregenza’s retirement from 2pm on Sunday, August 23 at the South Mandurah Football Club.
Originally from Tasmania, the PFL legend moved to Mandurah at age 11, however due to a chronic knee condition and other sporting commitments sat out of football until he was 17 years old.
His first taste of football came in 1994 when he joined friends at the South Mandurah Falcons in the PFL.
“I played golf and volleyball as a kid,” he said.
“I played in state volleyball teams and that but it was getting too expensive for my mum and dad.
“A mate of mine, Brian Robinson, was coaching the South Mandurah Colts team and got me and my brother to come down.
“I think there were five or so games left and we ended up going through and winning the premiership that year.”
Three years later and Tregenza was part of the inaugural Peel Thunder team that entered the Western Australia Football League in 1997.
After just four games with Peel Thunder, he returned to South Mandurah, kicking an amazing 161 goals.
On the back of the season Tregenza joined WAFL club East Fremantle the following year where he went on to win back-to-back Bernie Naylor Medals as the competition’s highest goal kicker.
In a strange twist of fate, Tregenza said one of his greatest achievements came in a State match where he kicked 10 goals against his former state, Tasmania, to win the best-on-ground medal.
“The ABC showed the game in Tasmania and all my relatives there were watching,” he said.
“A few locals were saying ‘who is this guy?’ and my family said ‘that’s our relative’ and they said ‘why isn’t he playing for us then?’”
At the end of the season Tregenza was rewarded after being selected with pick 29 in the 2001 AFL Rookie Draft by the Kangaroos, two selections higher than former Sydney and Collingwood premiership player Darren Jolly.
“I thought I had missed out [when I wasn’t called in the National Draft] when Dennis Pagan called me at work,” he said.
“It was actually pretty funny, my boss said it was Dennis Pagan on the phone and I thought he was joking but he said you’d better be quick it is him.”
- Rod Tregenza on being drafted to the AFL
“It was actually pretty funny, my boss said it was Dennis Pagan on the phone and I thought he was joking but he said you’d better be quick it is him.”
Unfortunately the forward suffered a knee injury in his first season at the Roos requiring a reconstruction that ended his season.
Still on the Kangaroo’s list in 2002, Tregenza booted 58 goals for the Kangaroos Victorian Football League affiliate, the Murray Bushrangers.
“We made the finals and in the first final I kicked eight against Williamstown before we were beaten the next week,” he said.
Tregenza said he thought he could have handled it at the highest level but Pagan quit the Kangaroos at the end of 2002 with Dean Laidley taking over the mantle.
“Laidley came in and had other ideas and I had my knee issue,” he said.
It was an unfortunate outcome for Tregenza who found himself delisted by the Kangaroos at the end of the season.
Still, he spoke positively about his time in Victoria.
“I played for the Big V [the Victorian state team] against South Australia at Adelaide Oval,” he said.
“I think it was the first time in a long time that SA was beaten at Adelaide Oval.”
The next stop happened to be SA with the local star playing two seasons with South Adelaide, winning the club’s leading goal kicker award in both seasons.
Following the birth of his son the journeyman moved back to WA, playing one final season in the WAFL with East Fremantle before returning to South Mandurah in 2006.
At South Mandurah he went on an eight-year run of kicking more than 100 goals in a season, also winning the PFL’s leading goal kicker award in each of the seasons.
In 2006 and 2008 he won premierships with the Falcons and in 2008 he also set a WA record for most goals in a season.
“That first year coming back to South Mandurah is one of my best memories,” he said.
“There were a lot of the young men I played with in Colts and went to school with and to win the grand final was great.”
The powerful forward said he can still remember his biggest haul coming against Harvey in 2008.
“I kicked 27 [goals], six [behinds] and had 41 possessions as a full forward."
- Rod Tregenza on his biggest goal kicking haul against Harvey in 2008
“I kicked 27 [goals], six [behinds] and had 41 possessions as a full forward,” he said.
“I think we were pretty close to winning by 300 points.”
“I actually had a shot after the siren that hit the post [that would have put us in front by more than 300]; I remember a few guys were pretty dirty on me.”
In recent years Tregenza has been plagued with injury.
In 2014 he played just six games for the Falcons, kicking 24 goals.
This year he managed just one with knee and hip injuries forcing him into retirement.
But what is next for the goal-kicking machine?
Tregenza said he was looking forward to spending time away from football and would look to get his golf handicap back down to zero.
Games: 326
Goals: 1815
Premierships: South Mandurah: 1994, 2006, 2008.
Competition leading goal kicker: PFL: 1998, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 (South Mandurah), WAFL: 1999, 2000 (East Fremantle)
Club leading goal kicker: South Adelaide (SANFL) 2003, 2004
Simpson Medal (Best player in a State game): WA v Tasmania 1999
Inaugural member of Peel Thunder
Second most goals ever in a season Australia-wide: 238 (2008) (1st Trevor Sutton 249 (1982))