During his career, Roughhead has shown that he has the tremendous athletic capability with a huge leap and clean marking hands. In the 2008 AFL season, he kicked 75 goals from 25 matches. Despite having the ability to work as a member of Hawthorn's defense, he became a regular center half-forward for Hawthorn.
In 2008, he played in his first AFL Grand Final, despite his struggles to collect the ball at times, Roughead finished the match with a respectable 2 goals against Geelong.