BY DAN

As we’d come to expect Jamal Fogarty is ‘officially’ walking away. Buzz Rothfield of the Daily Telegraph is reporting he is taking the three year deal with Manly, presumably the one that is worth $2.1m over the life of the agreement.

We won’t spend too much time on what this means as we’ve covered it in detail over the last few weeks, but in short it’s a shame. Not disastrous. Not team destroying, just another challenge for the club to overcome as it works out how to transition to the talent it already has in house.

It’s also a shame because this team is currently playing so well. Naturally by removing an experienced half there’s a risk that next year’s model will take a step back. I’ve heard words that suggest that perhaps the club thinks that there’s enough in the pack to make a young half’s job much more manageable. At the very least, critical experience for Owen Pattie will support Ethan Sanders in his adjustment next year. Sanders will have help. Here’s hoping he’s ready.

I also hope this simplifies Fogarty’s mindset for the rest of his season. In the first half of last week’s game against the Dolphins he had arguably his worst forty minutes as a Raider. It was not hard to think this was weighing on him. Hopefully with the decision made it clarifies his mind and allows him to focus on football going forward.

For the club it’s the first test of its commitment to youth, and how they operate. They could have kept Fogarty by picking up his option but didn’t want to begrudge him the opportunity to find a better deal (or, as likely, to pay him big money next year). They could have offered him the three years that would have kept him in town, but probably led to the departure of Ethan Sanders. They chose the future. It’s risky, but you can’t half step your way to the promise land.

For Jamal we’re happy. This deal is the kind of length and money that he deserves but the Raiders could not afford. It’s not life changing but definitely life affirming, and will ensure he makes the most out of a career that started later than he would have wanted. This deal will set him up for a future beyond football, and I doubt there’s a Raiders fan on earth that would begrudge him that.

We’ve always been big fans on honest hearts and determined minds. Fogarty is unquestionably that, and what his career has become is a testament to his own skills, his own courage, and his own resolve. Those characteristics are in short supply and having someone leading through demonstration of values can only have helped the young players. We would have wished a bit more time for those lessons to take effect, but we are also grateful for the time he gave us.

He came to town with a side on the downward spiral, having lost its way in 2021 as the 2019-20 team collapsed on itself. He was a key part of the stabilisation, and rebuild that has started to show green shoots in the last few months. We can be nothing but grateful for Jamal Fogarty. Go well good man.

The spotlight now falls on Ethan Sanders and Ricky Stuart. Sanders will bear the weight of our hope and expectations. That’s a lot for a young man with little first grade experience but the club has been clear that they think he has the ability and fortitude to handle it.

Ricky now has questions about his next steps. He’s already flagged an approach but the question will be less about the plan and more about the delivery. Will experience come in to shelter the youth in Cup footy, or just as a failsafe in case Sanders needs more time. The options aren’t plentiful either way.

Do me a favour and like the page on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or share this on social media because we are just men, just innocent men. Don’t hesitate to send us feedback (dan@sportress.org) or comment below if you think we are stupid. Or if we’re not.