The Canberra Raiders have today announced the signing of Gold Coast Titans halfback Jamal Fogarty on a three-year deal.
The deal comes after weeks of speculation about whether the Titans would release Fogarty from his contract to link up with the Green Machine.
The Indigenous All-Stars rep halfback will join the Raiders after 41 NRL matches for the Titans, including 21 matches in 2021 where he helped the Gold Coast to their first finals appearance since 2016.
“I’m super excited about coming down and meeting the squad,” Fogarty said. “The Raiders have a great roster and Coach in Ricky and they’ve had some success over the past few seasons and I’m really excited to join them and be a part of it.”
Fogarty said he’s looking to bring something different to the Raiders and said he hopes he can add to the talent already in the squad.
“I’m looking to bring a bit of game management and direction to the team, and this is what I’ve based my career on,” he said. “I’m also a really clear communicator and if I need to tell someone on the field what to do, I’m confident in doing that. Hopefully, I can bring what I’ve learned and I’m also really excited to work with Ricky and the other coaches to help improve my game.”
The opportunity to play alongside Jack Wighton is something Fogarty is also excited about and working on building a strong combination with him and the rest of the Raiders playmakers.
“Playing with someone like Jack is something I’m really looking forward to and building a relationship with him on-field,” he said. “He’s an X-factor player and hopefully I can do my job and help to free him up and do what he does best.”
Fogarty said he was really impressed with the discussions he has had with Coach Ricky Stuart with the history of the club something he really looked forward to embracing.
“I had a really good chat with Ricky, and I’ve had a look at some images of the facilities which look awesome,” he said. “What I really loved was in the locker room how each player has past players on their locker to remind them of the history of the club.
“I think a lot of young players come into the game these days and don’t appreciate the players who have gone before them and helped get the club to where it is now, so I love that the Raiders include their old boys in things they do like presenting jerseys and being a part of the club.”
Fogarty said he was expecting some friendly fire on his first day at Raiders HQ when he first sees Josh Papalii, who will be keen to remind him of the infamous ankle tap from when they played against each other in 2020.
“I think it’s going to be a really good ice breaker actually and something I can have a bit of a laugh with the boys about when I first get to training,” he said. “Budgy Smuggler actually sent me a couple of pairs of the budgies with the ankle tap moment on them and I wear them around the house. Maybe I’ll wear them in the ice bath on my first day as I think a bit of fun and humour is great.”
Originally from Beaudesert, Fogarty said he’s looking forward to moving to Canberra, embracing the city, and establishing himself in the community.
“Living in Canberra is something my family is excited about,” he said. “I’m nearly 28 years old and I’ve never seen snow before so I’m looking forward to checking it out and I’ve heard some really good things about Canberra, the club and the players with families being nice and tight, so we’re looking forward to being part of that.”
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