Bulldog_4_Life
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DON’T let Ofahiki Ogden’s beaming ear-to-ear smile fool you.
Behind the wide grin is a young forward eager to make a name for himself in the NRL as a ‘hard as nails’ enforcer.
Canterbury’s salary cap woes paved the way for Ogden to make his debut last weekend against Newcastle and now he wants to cement a spot in coach Dean Pay’s first 17.
Like many young players from New Zealand, Ogden is softly spoken and cuts a shy demeanour.
Ofahiki Ogden will look to play an impact role off the bench against the Raiders. Picture: Richard Dobson
But that all changes on the football field when the referee blows time on and the Mangere East Hawks junior only has one thing on his mind.
“It’s just something I like doing, going out there and smashing blokes and trying to run over people. It’s always been like that for me, run as hard you can and tackle as hard as you can,” he said.
Fellow Bulldogs forward Adam Elliott described Ogden as ‘hard as nails’ and said he runs so hard that the rest of his teammates try and avoid his big hits and ‘big shoulders’ during their training sessions.
Ogden, who was poached from the Warriors, says his aggressive approach to every battle upfront makes him tailor made for the physicality of the NRL.
He says he’ll be using Saturday night’s clash against Canberra’s behemoth pack to prove to Pay he deserves to be a regular in his side.
“I think I am made for it, but there are a few things I need to work on in my defence and what I'm doing at the moment, but talking to my defensive coaches trying to work on my game so I can get better,” he said.
Ogden says he simply likes to run hard and tackle hard. Picture: Richard Dobson
“I want to go out there and challenge other forwards in the NRL to see where I’m at and for myself it’s always a challenge to see who can run the hardest and tackle the hardest.
Ogden is contracted at Belmore until the end of next season and he says he wants to remain a Bulldog into the future.
“I do see myself here for the long-term, I’m just trying to improve and trying to cement a start in the starting 13 or even just off the bench,” he said.
“I’m not trying too look to far ahead, I want to take each week as it comes and try to improve my game.”
Behind the wide grin is a young forward eager to make a name for himself in the NRL as a ‘hard as nails’ enforcer.
Canterbury’s salary cap woes paved the way for Ogden to make his debut last weekend against Newcastle and now he wants to cement a spot in coach Dean Pay’s first 17.
Like many young players from New Zealand, Ogden is softly spoken and cuts a shy demeanour.
Ofahiki Ogden will look to play an impact role off the bench against the Raiders. Picture: Richard Dobson
But that all changes on the football field when the referee blows time on and the Mangere East Hawks junior only has one thing on his mind.
“It’s just something I like doing, going out there and smashing blokes and trying to run over people. It’s always been like that for me, run as hard you can and tackle as hard as you can,” he said.
Fellow Bulldogs forward Adam Elliott described Ogden as ‘hard as nails’ and said he runs so hard that the rest of his teammates try and avoid his big hits and ‘big shoulders’ during their training sessions.
Ogden, who was poached from the Warriors, says his aggressive approach to every battle upfront makes him tailor made for the physicality of the NRL.
He says he’ll be using Saturday night’s clash against Canberra’s behemoth pack to prove to Pay he deserves to be a regular in his side.
“I think I am made for it, but there are a few things I need to work on in my defence and what I'm doing at the moment, but talking to my defensive coaches trying to work on my game so I can get better,” he said.
Ogden says he simply likes to run hard and tackle hard. Picture: Richard Dobson
“I want to go out there and challenge other forwards in the NRL to see where I’m at and for myself it’s always a challenge to see who can run the hardest and tackle the hardest.
Ogden is contracted at Belmore until the end of next season and he says he wants to remain a Bulldog into the future.
“I do see myself here for the long-term, I’m just trying to improve and trying to cement a start in the starting 13 or even just off the bench,” he said.
“I’m not trying too look to far ahead, I want to take each week as it comes and try to improve my game.”