Jamal Fogarty

[aidan]

Doesn’t get rattled? He went missing in Mudgee with the game on the line and again on the weekend. Also, those stats are weighed slightly in Daly’s favour if you tally them all up. If anything, achieving similar statistical feats in a beaten side, is more remarkable than doing so in a successful side. It’s easier to have success when success is around you. Most players have their best seasons when their team is firing. My guess is DCE would thrive behind that superior Raiders pack. But it’s all hypothetical so does not really matter what I think.

Interestingly, a few people have jumped to the defence of Fog after my appraisal of his game on the weekend (particularly where speed and defence is concerned, but seems a couple of league experts agree: Cronk calls out Ricky Stuart's massive mistake that played into Reece Walsh's hands

Cronk and Johns both pointed out the failure of Canberra's right-side defence in shutting Walsh and the Broncos down. Johns said: "You could see that right side defence with Fogarty and Timoko, they were really struggling together in combination."

Champion former halfback Cronk said Walsh and the Broncos clearly identified Canberra's No.7 as the opposition player to target when they attacked down the left. "Fogarty couldn't move with the speed of Reece Walsh to make it three on three, that's what made the indecision for (Jed) Stuart."

You make some fair points, but I think you’re still overplaying it massively. Every halfback can have games where they go quiet or get exposed defensively, especially against the top sides. The difference is DCE has had far more of those games than Fogarty over the years. Singling out Fogarty for two games out of a season where his team finished first is clutching at straws.

Also, don’t forget that we’ve had one of the worst right-edge defences in the comp for years now — and that comes primarily down to DCE and his defensive approach. His reads are erratic, he often rushes in with no communication, leaves Haumole stranded in no man’s land, and the centre (usually Garrick) ends up looking like the one to blame. The lack of cohesion on our right side has been a glaring issue that opposition teams have targeted for a long time. So if you’re going to bag Fogarty out for being caught a couple of times this season, then you’ve got to acknowledge the same thing with DCE. Otherwise, it’s just not a fair or balanced take.

And yeah, I watched the Raiders v Broncos game — no denying Fogarty got burnt, but Walsh is one of the hardest players in the comp to contain when he’s on. He almost single-handedly dragged Brisbane back into that match. Even the best defensive units get carved up by him.

On the “rattled and spooked” point, I was clearly talking about DCE — the headless chook routine he serves up week after week, running figure eights or circles because he refuses to take on the line or get tackled. That’s been a huge issue for us in attack for years, and it’s exactly why a composed half like Fogarty will be a breath of fresh air.

On the “it’s more impressive to do it in a beaten side” argument — I don’t buy that at all. Fogarty is literally one of the main reasons Canberra went from 9th last year to 1st this year. He played 23 games this season compared to just 14 last year due to injury, and you can see the difference his control and consistency made to the team. That’s not him riding on the back of success — that’s him creating it.

At the end of the day, I know you’re a big DCE fan, so I don’t expect you to change your mind. But making a reactionary call based on one game this year doesn’t line up with how Fogarty’s actually played across the season. If you’d watched him week to week, you’d see his defence is usually solid, his reads are good, and he brings the consistency and control Manly have been crying out for.

 

[MW66]

It doesn't really matter anymore as DCE is gone. We need to improve in other areas regardless if Fogarty is an improvement or not. I still maintain for what was available at the time, Fogarty was as good a get as any and the price seems about right. I hope he goes well (very well). But I don't see him as the saviour. We need Turbo firing, Brooks (or Walsh) being good every week, another first grade forward and ideally a hooker of the calibre of other top 8 sides (probably wishful thinking). I see Hetherington as a good signing, Koula was on the cusp of being elite and we just need one of Laifai, Mia or Bryan being first grade quality to improve - and I dream of Zaidas having a breakout year and giving us an impactful number 14.

 

[jbb/james]

I really hope so. I’m not against his signing; I think decent 5th tackle options are imperative to success. However, I don’t see him as this great upgrade that’s suddenly going to transform our fortunes. I’m hoping he is, but I’m not counting my chickens before they hatch.

I think the brooks fog combo steps up a gear. Brooks was sold a lemon thinking DCE would run the show. I think both fog and brooks could mature in that role quite sweetly together making us stronger as a unit .

Moulding walsh and the young hookers , having 2 halves play above there body weight is a significant example and there willingness to play in front , helps ease young-bloods into the spine

I think genuine runners, passers and kickers both sides of the ruck work better . For all of DCE brilliance he was bog predictable, in that we was not going to run, when cornered , submit or chuck it and yell “go silver sovereign” in your best kenny calender

Our halves were too heavily role dominated rather than left /right which again made us somewhat predictable,

Oku looks great despite DCE just quietly.
Jake has also taken too much first receiver, could auto change his positioning /role/attitude and identify or redefine his role which seems high on everyones list

QLD gained by taking him out of the equation as much as they did by replacing him. Too many fingers in the pie as 7 , captain, voice, leader

Its a new era, manly needs a patient rebuild but we need to do it the tough old fashioned way with discipline, defence, attitude, kick chase and some magic ****. It was never going to start until he left

He left years too late so now our rebuild has started late is how i see it.
Fogs a good enough fit for now, and he and brooks on ok coin really

 

[Heckenberg]

I’m personally looking forward to having someone new to get behind and support. It’s fresh and exciting regardless of whether he is better or worse. No matter how good DCE can be I feel that with the way he has gone about things over the years it is difficult to get behind him wholeheartedly. For a period I warmed to his diplomatic and quirky ways but that whole fiasco earlier this season has ruined any sort of redemption arc he underwent over the years that could forgive the mediocre results that he mostly lead our team to.