I agree there’s been no overt messiah references but I think people are letting their distaste for DCE as a person, cloud their judgement on his footballing ability.
He’s clearly in another league to Jamal Fogarty. I don’t have to list the comparative accolades to make my point. He’s so far ahead of Fog it’s not funny.
I’m holding out a bit of hope that Fog’s control will be a good thing for our game plan but I don’t think that’s a fait accompli like Many suggest.
Fingers crossed.
I’ll take what you say with a grain of salt, as I’ve noticed over the years you’re a pretty avid pro-DCE fan on here. But I still want to put these stats out there for everyone else to see, because they clearly dispel the idea that DCE is “so far ahead it’s not funny.”
Fogarty is the halfback of the team that just won the minor premiership, while Manly finished 10th — captained by yours truly, DCE. The numbers speak for themselves:
| Category | Fogarty | DCE |
|---|
| Tries | 2 | 5 |
| Try Assists | 23 | 21 |
| Line Break Assists | 15 | 16 |
| Forced Drop Outs | 21 | 18 |
| 40/20s | 1 | 3 |
| Average Kicking Metres | 485.1 | 415.4 |
| Line Breaks | 2 | 5 |
| Tackle Breaks | 19 | 35 |
| Total Tackles | 530 | 415 |
| Avg Tackles/Game | 23.0 | 18.0 |
| Tackle Efficiency | 89.2% | 90.2% |
| Missed Tackles | 64 | 45 |
| Errors | 22 | 16 |
On top of that, DCE is 36 and only going to decline from here, whereas Fogarty is 31, in the peak form of his career and still improving.
The key difference between them is the style of halfback. Fogarty isn’t flashy, but that’s exactly why he’s been so valuable for Canberra this season — he’s consistent, reliable and keeps a steady head. He doesn’t get rattled or spooked and try to pull off low-percentage “hero” plays. He sticks to his role, controls the game, and gives the real strike players around him like Strange, Young and Weekes the platform to dominate.
And that’s exactly what Manly need. With guys like Tom and Koula in our team, our go-to players who need early ball and space, a composed halfback running the show makes all the difference. Fogarty gives you that balance and doesn’t overplay his hand.
I also genuinely believe Fogarty is the one who will finally unlock Haumole. For years he’s been getting the ball flat-footed from DCE and forced to do everything himself. Fogarty actually plays to his forwards, knows how to put a big edge runner through a hole, and that’s going to make a huge difference.
Not to mention, after 15 years in first grade, DCE still can’t execute a proper cross-field kick for a 6’7 winger like Saab. That’s the sort of basic play you expect from a first grade halfback — something other quality No.7s like Sam Walker do consistently every week. Fogarty’s arrival can fix that.
There are also plenty of attributes to Fogarty’s game that don’t show up in stats but will have a noticeable impact on the way we play next year. As others have said, he’s not a match-winning or game-breaking halfback with freakish natural talent like a Cleary or Moses. But for under $700k a season, he’s about as good as you’ll get — and he plays the complete opposite style of game to DCE, which, let’s be honest, hasn’t worked for us for the last 15 years. So why not try something new?
For 2026, Fogarty is exactly the halfback we need — steady, controlled, and the perfect foil for the strike weapons around him. Like many others on here have previously stated, I agree that it is going to be so refreshing and exciting to watch a DCE-less Manly team in 2026. Most of all, I am relieved I won’t have to watch another one of those painful second-tackle kicks that swing the momentum back in favour of the opposition when we are in front or on the attack, or a botched short drop-out attempt as he still hasn’t figured out which side to kick the ball to.
