Raiders’ late bloomer Fogarty is still pinching himself
Jasper Bruce |
It wasn’t so long ago that Canberra’s Jamal Fogarty had given up on becoming an NRL player.
Fast-forward a few years, and he has a golden chance to become the Raiders’ first premiership-winning halfback in more than three decades.
Fogarty is surrounded by boy wonders in the nation’s capital: 20-year-old halves partner Ethan Strange, rookie Owen Pattie and fullback Kaeo Weekes have all been instrumental to their fairytale rise to first on the ladder.
By his own admission, though, Fogarty was anything but a prodigy at the same stage of his own career.
“Comparing me to the talent that these kids have is just completely different,” he told AAP.
“I was probably someone that had to work really hard, they’ve got both, they’ve got the raw talent, and they’ve got the work hard.”
Fogarty took until 23 to make his NRL debut, playing two games for a battling Gold Coast team in 2017 following a mid-season move from Parramatta.
He faded back into reserve-grade obscurity with feeder side Burleigh the next year, and assumed that’d be where he’d stay.
In those days, Fogarty was content training three afternoons a week, playing footy before small crowds on a Sunday and spending the rest of his time as a youth worker.
“I used to work with disengaged kids from school or the homeless and kids that are in and out of detention. It was eye-opening and kept me grounded,” he said.
Everything changed for Fogarty in 2020, when he caught the eye of Justin Holbrook’s coaching staff during a trial game against the Titans.
A development deal ensued, which snowballed into a 41-game career at Gold Coast and eventually a move south to the Raiders, who have been fashioned into a premiership force this season by Ricky Stuart.
But while others in the squad have long dreamed of being in the position Canberra now are, Fogarty never had.
He just never thought NRL premiership glory was in the realms of possibility for a youth worker with a part-time footy habit.
“I thought NRL was gone for me,” he said.
“Then it all changed, and once I got my opportunity, I didn’t want to lose it and go back to Queensland Cup. I’ve just got to keep pinching myself to say, ‘I used to be someone that would’ve loved to be in this position, so don’t stuff it up now’.”
Fogarty has taken his game to new heights in his fourth season in Canberra – and his last before joining Manly next year to replace Daly Cherry-Evans.
The 31-year-old is fifth in the league for try assists this year, ahead of James Tedesco and Nathan Cleary.
“(Attack coach) Justin Giteau probably deserves a lot of the credit, to be honest,” Fogarty said.
“All the coaching staff upstairs, the systems they’ve put in place have been tailored towards the team.”
But even though he’s deeper into an NRL career than he ever imagined, Fogarty thinks back on those days as a youth worker sometimes.
“I still use some of the stuff that I did with those kids. We think we’ve got a tough life because we lose a game of footy and Stick (Stuart) is the coach,” Fogarty said.
“But we get to go home to a nice house and warm bed and family who love and care about us and can buy food and stuff like that. So life’s pretty good.”
AAP
