Mark Rodgers
{{Short description|Irish hurling star}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox Gaelic games player
| code = Hurling
| sport = Hurling
| image =
| name = Mark Rodgers
| irish = Marcus Mac Ruairí
| fullname =
| feet =
| inches =
| occupation =
| county = Clare
| province = Munster
| club = Scariff
| clposition = Forward
| clubs =
| clyears = 2019-present
| clapps(points) =
| clcounty = 0
| clprovince = Munster
| clallireland =
| colleges = University of Limerick
| colyears = 2019-2023
| fitz = Two
| counties = Clare
| icposition = Complete forward
| icyears = Debut 2021- present
| icapps(points) = 25 (8-77)
| icprovince = 0
| icallireland = 1 (2024)
| nhl = 1 (2024)
| allstars = 1 (All-star corner-forward 2024)
| clupdate =
| icupdate = match played 10 May 2025
| birth_date = 2001
| birth_place = Scariff,
County Clare, Ireland
| Individual Honours = GAA Young Player Of The Year 2023
}}
Mark Rodgers (born 2001) plays hurling for his native parish Scariff and at inter-county level with All-Ireland champions Clare.
Career and education
Rodgers had his first hurling successes as a student at Scariff Community College. He was part of the college team that beat St Fergal's College to claim the All-Ireland Colleges SCHC title in 2018.{{cite news|url=https://clarechampion.ie/scariffs-28-year-wait-is-over/|title=Scariff's 28-year wait is over|date=24 March 2018|publisher=The Clare Champion|accessdate=12 December 2021|first=|last=}} Rodgers later had success with University of Limerick, winning back-to-back Fitzgibbon Cup titles in 2022 and 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.the42.ie/ul-nuig-fitzgibbon-cup-final-5687855-Feb2022/|title=UL rally to Fitzgibbon Cup glory with late 1-5 to deny NUIG dream double|publisher=The 42|date=19 February 2022|access-date=19 February 2022|first=|last=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/sigerson-fitzgibbon-cups/four-goal-michael-kiely-fires-ul-to-fitzgibbon-cup-glory-against-university-of-galway-42348322.html|title=Four-goal Michael Kiely fires UL to Fitzgibbon Cup glory against University of Galway|publisher=Irish Independent|date=18 February 2023|accessdate=18 February 2023|first=Tomás|last=McCarthy}}
At club level, Rodgers first played at juvenile and underage levels with Scraiff before eventually joining the club's top adult team. He won a Clare IHC title in 2020 after Scariff beat Tubber in the final.{{cite news|url=https://www.clareecho.ie/scariff-are-crowned-intermediate-champions-for-2020/|title=Scariff are crowned intermediate champions for 2020|date=20 September 2020|publisher=The Clare Echo|accessdate=12 December 2021|first=|last=}}
Rodgers first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Clare minor hurling team in 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.the42.ie/clare-wateford-munster-minor-hurling-championship-report-cusack-park-4038812-May2018/|title=Rodgers' 2-3 inspires Clare to victory as Deise fall short at Cusack Park|date=27 May 2018|publisher=The 42|accessdate=12 December 2021|first=|last=}} He later spent two seasons with the Clare under-20 hurling team before being drafted onto the Clare senior hurling team in 2021.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40067769.html|title=Tipperary's second-half surge seals it on surreal night|date=19 October 2020|publisher=Irish Examiner|accessdate=12 December 2021|first=|last=}}{{cite news|url=https://www.the42.ie/clare-wexford-hurling-2-5438266-May2021/|title=O'Connor fires winner as Wexford edge out Clare with red cards on both sides in Ennis|date=16 May 2021|publisher=The 42|accessdate=12 December 2021|first=|last=}} Rodgers won a National Hurling League medal in 2024.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41368933.html|title=Red-hot McCarthy and Clare withstand late Cats fightback to end seven-year trophy drought|date=6 April 2024|publisher=Irish Examiner|accessdate=30 April 2024|first=|last=}}
On 21 July 2024, he started in the half-forward line as Clare won the All-Ireland for the first time in 11 years after an extra-time win against Cork by 3-29 to 1-34, claiming their fifth All-Ireland title.{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/hurling/2024/0721/1461045-clare-find-extra-gear-to-edge-cork-in-epic-final/|title=Clare find extra gear to edge Cork in historic hurling final epic|publisher=RTÉ Sport|first=Eoin|last=Ryan|date=21 July 2024|accessdate=21 July 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://www.gaa.ie/article/all-ireland-shc-final-clare-win-epic-encounter|title=All-Ireland SHC Final: Clare win epic encounter|date=21 July 2024|work=GAA.ie|accessdate=22 July 2024}}{{cite web|url= https://munster.gaa.ie/event/2024-all-ireland-senior-hurling-championship-final-clare-v-cork/|title=Clare 3-29 Cork 1-34|date=19 July 2024|work=Munster GAA|accessdate=22 July 2024}} Rodgers won an All Star at the end of the 2024 season.{{cite news|title=Conroy and O'Donnell scoop Player of the Year awards|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2024/1101/1478693-conroy-and-odonnell-scoop-player-of-the-year-awards/|work=RTÉ News|date=1 November 2024|access-date=2 November 2024}}
Career statistics
{{updated|match played 10 May 2025}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||||||||
| rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Year !colspan="3"|National League !colspan="2"|Munster !colspan="2"|All-Ireland !colspan="2"|Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score |
| rowspan="5" |Clare
|2021 |rowspan="2"|Division 1B | 4 | 1-06 | 2 | 0-02 | 2 | 0-00 | 8 | 1-08 |
| 2022 | 2 | 1-17 | 1 | 0-02 | 2 | 0-02 | 5 | 1-21 |
| 2023
| rowspan="3" |Division 1A | 3 | 3-02 | 5 | 3-06 | 2 | 1-21 | 10 | 7-29 |
| 2024 | 5 | 0-21 | 5 | 2-17 | 3 | 1-11 | 13 | 3-49 |
| 2025
| | |3 |1-16 | | |3 |1-16 | ||||||||
| colspan="3"|Career total
!14 | 5-46 | 16 | 6-43 | 9 | 2-34 | 39 | 13-123 |
Honours
=Team=
;Scariff
- All-Ireland Colleges Senior C Hurling Championship: 2018
;University of Limerick
- Fitzgibbon Cup: 2022, 2023 (jc)
;Scariff
;Clare
=Individual=
;Awards
- All Star (1): 2024
- GAA-GPA Young Hurler of the Year (1): 2023{{cite web|url= https://www.clarelive.ie/news/sport/1351728/in-pictures-clare-s-mark-rodgers-named-young-hurler-of-the-year.html|title=In Pictures: Clare's Mark Rodgers named Young Hurler of the Year|date=18 November 2023|work=Clare Live|accessdate=5 December 2023}}
- The Sunday Game Team of the Year: 2024
References
{{reflist}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Mark Rodgers navigation boxes
|list1=
{{Clare Hurling Team 2024}}
{{GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year}}
{{2022 GAA Rising Stars Hurling Team}}
}}
{{Clare Hurling Team}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodgers, Mark}}
Category:University of Limerick hurlers
Category:Clare inter-county hurlers