He is now with Australian glamour side Melbourne Victory and says he never expected his stay in the Waikato to last long.
“I had plans to try and get a move to happen at the end of that first season – to go places or get a trial,” Rojas recalls. “I didn’t see myself being at that level for too long.”
In 2008, after a season starring in winter club football for Hamilton Wanderers, Rojas was catapulted into the ASB Premiership selection frame and Waikato coach Dave Edmondson was quick to snap him up.
“In training Marco was different class,” Edmondson says. “He did things you just wouldn’t believe. Some of the senior players would just stop and marvel.”
Knowing when to blood the prodigiously talented youngster would prove tricky though.
Edmondson, in his second spell with Waikato, set about transforming the club’s fortunes with an active recruitment drive that saw the arrival of senior players like Graham Pearce, Nathan Strom and Craig Wylie. At the periphery of the squad was youngster Rojas.
“It was a step up from the level I was playing in the winter competition,” Rojas says. “I was anxious to see how I would perform in the ASB Premiership but I wasn’t nervous.”
Edmondson took a cautious approach with Rojas and he was used mainly off the bench as Waikato made a tilt at the play-offs. When he moved to the Phoenix, Edmondson was delighted to see his former protege excel.
“Marco has such a high level of technical ability and could change games by himself. He has that ‘x’ factor that many New Zealand players and teams lack. I didn’t expect him to develop as quickly as he did but I knew if he got an opportunity he would go a long way.”
Rojas does not bear a grudge for his super-substitute role at Waikato and says he saw it as part of his apprenticeship.
“It was good to play under Dave Edmondson, even though I was coming off the bench which was difficult to get used to,” Rojas says. “But I was new to the environment and it was good to play with the guys at Waikato at that time.”
Sadly for Waikato, they eventually finished four points adrift of the play-offs, a creditable performance given the club’s prospects during the off-season looked decidedly bleak.
Rojas’ talent won plaudits when he did appear and it wasn’t long before the ASB Premiership starlet was snaffled up by a Phoenix-fan driven youth scholarship.
“The stuff I learned in the Waikato was obviously important. It’s where I lived and played as a youngster. It’s not a usual avenue to a pro career and to win that scholarship was unbelievable for me,” Rojas says.
“I was over the moon to get a professional contract and I’ll always be grateful for what the Yellow Fever did for me.”
The Hamilton-born attacking midfielder now plays in front of crowds of 30 to 40,000 every other week for the Victory. It’s a markedly tougher environment than playing at Centennial Park, Ngaruawahia, for Waikato.
“That’s why you play football – to play in those kinds of games and in front of those kinds of crowds. It’s been an amazing experience and hopefully it continues in the same way.”
Marco’s father Roddie continues to be a constant figure in his development and it’s clear the father-son influence is one the 20-year-old All White cherishes.
“He looks out for me as a parent but also as a coach. He would bring me in to play and train with teams that he coached in senior football,” Rojas says.
“He’s always been there to practice with and he’s helped make me the player I am today. I’d like to think he’ll be there throughout my whole career.”
Rojas’ journey from the ASB Premiership to the A-League was capped by a debut for the All Whites against China in March when coach Ricki Herbert sent him on as a second-half substitute.
After falling behind 1-0, the All Whites bounced back through a goal by Michael McGlinchey and Rojas enjoyed the moment.
“To play for the All Whites was great and a new challenge. It was one I enjoyed fully.”
There are likely to be many more such moments to come if Rojas’ current rate of progress continues.
Story courtesy of www.asbpremiership.co.nz

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