Jamal Fogarty

[The Eagle Has Landed]

I sure hope we get Fogarty. He was sublime on the weekend

 

[bringbackbeaver]

Would take time to get all the T&Cs signed off for Fogerty. I think we will hear something over the next few days. His value is going up with each win.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

Incredibly gifted individual player. No one doubts this. His effect on morale (or not ) I'll leave for another conversation,
But the one thing that is hard to refute is his absolute inability since he signed the mega deal to dominate and manage a game against elite opposition when it really mattered.

I remember vividly being at the Covid final v Souths ( which Tom played ) at Suncorp and leaving thinking this guy will never take us to the promised land. Under pressure, against elite opposition, in matches thst really count he just does not have it. That is why , amongst most observers of the game , he will be remembered as a very good player but not a great one, despite his longevity and representative games.

Nothing I've seen over the last decade has ever led me to think i'm wrong. None of the truly elite halfbacks have panic football in their DNA - with DCE he is defined by incredible individual brilliance,brain fades and a proven record of never really managing a game that matters under pressure.Regardless of the players around him great players maintain their cool even in defeat. He doesn't.

In any case he is gone , comparing him to anyone is simply futile re the future.
Great contributor to a once great club but will never be spoken of in terms of our legendary Eagle greats , all of whom had that steel that defines greatness.

Yes I was at that game as well, compare how Reynolds ran the Bunnies.

We had the team , and the motivation to go one more , but our illustrious leader was absent that night, or at least absent in the second half that night.

 

[Mark from Brisbane]

You are either Pro OR anti , I’d say the mix is about 20 Pro / 80 Anti.

But I doubt we’ll ever really know who was right or who was wrong, and to be honest the right or wrong of it will be purely subjective anyway.

If he’s had a falling out with say Mestrov, the Pro fans will be saying “ it’s all the CEO’s fault “, and anti fans will say “ Mestrov called his bull**** out and he’s spat the dummy “ .

He’s gone , where he goes , what he does , is completely irrelevant.

And just like Watmough before him , he’ll be pissed off and won’t return for years and eventually get talked into coming back for old boys day and all will be forgiven.

So let’s just hope he does his job for the rest of 2025.

 

[Nambawan]

I sure hope we get Fogarty. He was sublime on the weekend

I also watched him on the week-end. Not overly impressed - sure has nice kicking game - passing OK, but not in DCE class - and next to zero running game. And to sign him for three seasons, at his age????

 

[LeonardCohen]

I also watched him on the week-end. Not overly impressed - sure has nice kicking game - passing OK, but not in DCE class - and next to zero running game. And to sign him for three seasons, at his age????

No running game? He dummied and scored the winning try by taking the line on?!

No passing game? He put Mariota into a hole with a short pass that led to a try.

I thought some his kicks were duds on the weekend but he’s usually pretty spot on. I also notice he plays like a traditional half back, where he likes to get in at first receiver and bring his forwards onto the ball. It’s a controlled type of game that could benefit the more improvisational elements of Manly’s game.

 

[Tragic Eagle]

Fog would be a great singing for us. My fingers are crossed.

 

[mave]

Best 3 things about someone like Fogarty?

No 1st tackle kicks, putting the team under unnecessary pressure.
No 2nd tackle kicks, putting the team under unnecessary pressure.
No 3rd tackle kicks, putting the team under unnecessary pressure.

 

[bob dylan]

Hasler won 2 premierships, Tooves 1 out of 3 but he should have won 3 if not for cheats and Orford won 40-0. DCE on the other hand was gifted a premiership by his teammates in his Rookie year and immediately screwed the club for money as soon as he won it. Then was the highest paid player in the NRL for 8 years in an era when Thurston, Smith, Slater, Inglis & Cronk all played and were on less money, let that sink in. DCE was payed way too much for what he delivered.

No doubt in a lot of what you say, you could even go a step further and say if Cronk and Thurston hadnt retired when they did Daly plays very little Origin at all.

But to be fair to DCE have a look at the sub standard forward packs he has played behind at club level.

Has any team been bashed up Manly since the glory days for Watmough and Gift and Kite and King and Gulavao. Apart from a few individuals DCE hasn't played behind a decent pack in 10 years. You may like to let that sink in.

 

[double hoops]

You are either Pro OR anti , I’d say the mix is about 20 Pro / 80 Anti.

But I doubt we’ll ever really know who was right or who was wrong, and to be honest the right or wrong of it will be purely subjective anyway.

If he’s had a falling out with say Mestrov, the Pro fans will be saying “ it’s all the CEO’s fault “, and anti fans will say “ Mestrov called his bull**** out and he’s spat the dummy “ .

He’s gone , where he goes , what he does , is completely irrelevant.

And just like Watmough before him , he’ll be pissed off and won’t return for years and eventually get talked into coming back for old boys day and all will be forgiven.

So let’s just hope he does his job for the rest of 2025.

There is a rumour doing the rounds that DCE could spring a shock backflip and stay a man. 😂

 

[Nordburg]

There is a rumour doing the rounds that DCE could spring a shock backflip and stay a man. 😂

Interesting times for DCE.Roosters were the early favourites but with Smith improving and Savala’s emergence,along with obviously Walker,does DCE hinder the progression of the young players? Until Sexton finally re-signs,the Dogs are still in the hunt along with the Dolphins,although Katoa is flying and on the up.Maybe he does do another backflip

 

[eadie fan]

There is a rumour doing the rounds that DCE could spring a shock backflip and stay a man. 😂

Please NO NO NO NO NO!!

 

[Woodsie]

We have wasted 43 pages and 853 posts if Foggy ends up not coming ...

 

[ManlyTragic]

We have wasted 43 pages and 853 posts if Foggy ends up not coming ...

…. We wasted more than that on DCE and he’s going!

Just sayin’

 

[Rackets]

Apart from a few individuals DCE hasn't played behind a decent pack in 10 years. You may like to let that sink in.

Could it be bob because the money thrown at DCE and then the Turbo's, the club had no money to afford a top forward pack?

 

[swoop]

Forget Fogarty, 3yrs is too long and will hold back our young guns. Katoa has been playing 1st grade for the Dolphins for a couple of years and he's only 21 now.

Bite the bullet and use Walsh or Large.

Save the cash for a decent prop or two.

 

[DieHardManlyFan]

Could it be bob because the money thrown at DCE and then the Turbo's, the club had no money to afford a top forward pack?

I believe that as a organisation the club lost faith in our development. Instead of developing talented young forwards to complement our stars we tried to buy ready made players that we either couldn’t afford or didn’t offer enough value. This was evident in our decision to look toward Blacktown instead of within. My hope is that with 2V and Choc coming back to engage our youth we will be able to balance our cap better moving forward. Excuse the pun but I also hope it restores some pride back into our jersey.

 

[Chip and Chase]

I'm certain there were players earning more from the game than DCE, by one means or another.
But yes he was certainly up there.

It'd be disingenuous to suggest that whatever means other clubs were employing to supplement salaries that Manly weren't employing same tactics. DCE was widely reported as being in the top 3 money earners if not THE highest paid player in the NRL for multiple years of that 8 year contract. His contract was ratcheted to the cap so relatively speaking he maintained that top level, as the cap increased so did his salary. For him to be paid more than some of those players turned out a criminal waste of salary cap resources for what he delivered. And before all the apologists cry foul, yes I get that what he was paid wasn't his fault, but not delivering performances commensurate with that pay packet was something he can be criticised for.

It's all sliding doors now, but imagine if we had only signed him to a 4 or 5 year deal and cut our losses. With a lazy $1.2 - $1.3mil to play with what would our team have looked like ? how many more finals appearances ? which halfback could we have secured ? Maybe a premiership ? who knows. The chosen path has delivered very little unfortunately.

If there is one key takeaway from the whole DCE situation it should be that we never sign a player contract of that length again. Downside risk is far too high without some sort of escape clause. The Taumalolo contract is another example, and I'd be willing to bet the Knights will live to regret the Dylan Brown 10 year deal. No player is that good.

 

[double hoops]

Is it too early to discuss who might be next on Gentles hit list?

 

[Brookie1973]

Is it too early to discuss who might be next on Gentles hit list?

That’s interesting. You saying the DCE situation was driven by Gentle, not Mestrov or Seibold? Gentle certainly keeps a low profile for a head of football.