Fortunately, Rogers and the club's board were able to recruit a couple of good "rugby brains" to take over the team in Mark Seymour and Dave Palmer, who got the team back on track after some ups and downs.
The loss of halfback and captain Beau Dickens, with season-ending knee ligament damage, has also cost the team some traction.
"He was the heart of the team and without him guiding them in the middle we went through a bit of demise," Rogers said.
Without doubt the Marist forwards have been behind their success. Solomon Jones and Hayden McCaw have been real standouts as well as Dan Faleafa and Tone Kopelani in the latter part of the season. Te Maiti Hendricks has been joined by his brother, Ian, in the front row this season and they are a formidable pairing at scrum time.
"They don't really fit the bill as props in the modern game but, boy, they've done the job for us this season," Rogers said.
But undoubtedly the biggest difference in the team has been the addition to the backline of another pair of brothers, Jone and Villi Seveti, providing of flair and pace out wide.
Now Kamo stand between them and their semifinal spot and Marist are ready for a battle.
"It's going to be a fairly fierce game with no prisoners taken. The boys are out for some revenge after they took us apart earlier in the season - which started a bit of a turning point in our fortunes," he said.
He said no matter the result, the club had enjoyed one of its best seasons in memory.
"Not only are the prems firing but the reserves are as well, we've had as many as 30 reserves out training during the week and it's really made a difference to have proper facilities and lights to train under at Kensington Park," he said.
Kamo are expecting a tough forward battle and are wary of Marist's new outside backs.
"They weren't around when we played them in the first round so the task of defending against their wheels out wide will fall on the shoulders of our young backline but they're getting better every week and we think they can do the job," assistant coach Barry Herman said.
Kamo will be missing lock Bryce Williams and prop Joe Reuben who have been sidelined with head injuries, while Orene Ai'i's recall to the Blues hasn't helped their chances.
The fight to host the second play-off match will also go down to the wire with Mid Northern and Mid Western level on points and hoping for maximum points in their matches on the road against Old Boys and Otamatea respectively.
Old Boys caused the upset of the first round beating Mid Northern at Hukerenui and will want to repeat that feat at home and perhaps rise as high as fifth on the table. Despite finishing the season last, Otamatea have kept the last three teams to Kaiwaka to within a converted try, including Wellsford last week.
The round robin winners host Hora Hora, who still have the faintest chance of taking the fourth place - if they can score a bonus point win at Centennial Park and there is a draw at Kensington Park. The final match of the round is at Hikurangi where the Western Sharks and the locals will try and end disappointing seasons on a high note in a play-off for eighth place.
