BY DAN

In news I do not like dialed up the eleven, reporting has emerged in the Sydney Morning Herald that Jamal Fogarty is on the radar for the Manly Sea-Eagles. Given the circumstances of his career, and without clarity on his contract, the threat level feels real. The business is just beginning.

This is obviously a surprise for those of us familiar with James Hooper’s reporting of last week. It suggested that the Raiders had decided to pick up Fogarty’s 2026 option. This is now cloudy with a side of confusion. As you are aware, Fogarty has an option that the club can pick up prior to round six to keep him for next season. But even if they were to pick up that option now, if clubs come hard for him then it’s going to be difficult to keep him around.

And that assumes the option was only the club’s to exercise. While it had been reporting as such, right now we’re swimming in uncertainty. A mea culpa is required from us in that regard. We evidently got it wrong when we went off Hooper reporting the situation sorted. The club was ready to make a decision that would guarantee his presence next year. All that was required was the paperwork. This feels anything but certain.

I guess we’ll have to wait and see if the Raiders do pick up that option. If they choose not to it would be tantamount to letting him go. If they do pick it up they’ll be acknowledging they’re willing to fight to keep him. They’ve done it before – Zac Woolford was recently held back from signing a deal with St George to see out his contract. But it’s a harder battle when someone is likely to be in as demand as Fogarty is.

It would also be a question of how hard Fogarty, and more likely his manager, are willing to go to blow his way out of the club. He really doesn’t seem the type but there’s methods and ways to this that don’t involve being a dick. Fogarty’s manager may point at other players he represents and acknowledge how negotitations might be influenced by this. Jamal may go to Stuart and plea with him to allow him to take the big money Canberra won’t be able to offer. It’s likely his last big deal, and his last chance to set up his family. Stuart has previously said how much he respects Fogarty and wants to talk about this with him directly. That could be how it all comes down.

For now I would recommend more patience and circumspection than we’ve shown in the past. Manly are reeling from the Daly Cherry-Evans announcement earlier in the week. They have been chaotic and desperate in their response, going so far as to negotiate via text and television to make their pitch. Right now it feels they’re be inclined to throw out names, or to make a big money offer to a name, just to get someone in the door so it doesn’t feel like it’s falling apart. To make the noise about it all going to shit to be about rebuilding after the fire. Fogarty is arguably the biggest name half somewhat available. He could be their media salvation, even just for a few days, until they work out what to do.

But this is not all damage control. Fogarty would be a good fit with Brooks, lightening his organising load and allowing both to play on their preferred sides of the field. He’s an immaculate clubmen, a good solid individual, able to be the type of leader on the field the club is losing. Off the field he would be a useful link to whoever the next big thing is (I don’t know who that is, I’m sure there’s someone in the system). I would guess he’s still got three to four years of good football in him, so it wouldn’t be a silly deal. He would also remove a leverage point that DCE’s departure provides the Trbojevics should they wish to hold the club’s feet over the fire.

But given how Manly behaved at the start of the week it’s unclear whether to treat these rumours with the seriousness we otherwise would. That’s more on them than us. A desperate actor is just as likely to throw out something ridiculous that makes it almost inhumane to keep Fogarty. I would take the claims around “this has been the plan for months” with all the salt in Dampier. A team planning for this does not beg on TV. They’re just as likely to move on to another half agitating for a new spot.

There’s a while to play in this yet. We need to see if Manly is actually ready to make it hard for Jamal to stay in Canberra. We’ll need to see if the Raiders are willing to fight just as hard to keep him. We’ll need to see if Fogarty really wants to leave, and if so, whether he’s ready to make it difficult for the Milk to keep him.

Time will tell. But I’m feeling a lot worse today about Fogarty’s future in Canberra than I did last week. Strap in. It’s business time.

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