Darcy Fogarty, in action for Glenelg against Woodville-West Torrens, is a tall and mobile forward ready to play AFL football immediately. Photo: SANFL
Footyology’s draft rankings – No. 12: Darcy Fogarty
No. 12 – DARCY FOGARTY
South Australia (Glenelg)
Half-forward
Born: 25/9/1999
Height: 192cm
Weight: 92kg
SANFL STATS
Disposals: 7.9
Kicks: 3.2
Handballs: 4.6
Handball efficiency: 72%
Kicking efficiency: 54%
Marks: 1
Tackles: 2.7
Goals: 0.5
One elite attribute: Versatility. The great unknown of the draft is a strong tall forward who is uniquely capable of playing large stints in the midfield and down back.
Best-case comparison: Jake Stringer
WHAT HE’S GOT
Mobility: Fogarty covers the ground exceptionally well for his size and when his tank improves this will be a massive asset.
Strength: Tosses his opponents around like rag dolls and puts his powerful core to good use up forward. Ready-made for AFL football.
Versatility: He’s not as tall as Justin Westhoff, but he’s capable of playing that do-it-all role for extended periods of a game. Was trialled down back this year and held his own.
WHAT HE LACKS
Ball-winning ability: This is more an issue with his tank and footy IQ, so he can address it pretty quickly in the right system with a few pre-seasons. Averaged eight touches in the SANFL and 11.5 in the AFL under-18 championships.
Continuity: Missed second half of the year with a meniscus tear but should be right for his first pre-season.
BEDE BRISCOMB CHATS WITH DARCY FOGARTY
Eighteen-year-old forwards standing 190 centimetres and 90 kilograms who can play consistent minutes in the middle are pretty hard to come by, but that’s just what Darcy Fogarty is. The South Australian has sat out most of the 2017 with a knee injury, but showed enough before that to suggest he’s going to be a very valuable player in the AFL. Footyology sat down with Fogarty to discuss all that and more.
What do you think is the hardest position to play in footy and why?
I reckon it’s centre half-forward. You usually get caught in the middle of the play a lot and the ball flies over your head, so you’ve got to lead up to get the first kick from defensive 50 and if you don’t do that you can caught in the middle and have a pretty quiet day. You’ve got to put in a lot of hard work to get used and if you don’t you get caught out. Centre half-back is probably the easiest position.
How do you assess your own performance after a game? Do you look at the stat sheet and have a set KPIs you want to hit or is it something else?
It’s pretty cruisy for me. I usually have a good feel for whether I played well or not. I don’t go into the game with any real goals.
Obviously, you’ve been injured for a large part of this year, but before that how would you grade your season?
D.
Why so low?
I wasn’t having an influence on games as much as I would have liked. I wasn’t shutting down my opponent and wasn’t getting much of the ball.
What do think is the one thing you are elite at?
Probably my physicality and aggression around the ball.
Which AFL player do you look at now and say: “That’s the player I want to be at my absolute best”?
I don’t really model my game after any specific player. I just try to take things from different players and incorporate them into my game and if they work I’ll keep doing them.
Do you consume much footy in your spare time?
I do, but not as much this year, being in a boarding house and having Saturdays taken up by playing footy. But Sundays and Fridays I watch most games.
Given you’re tall and strong and you’re a fluid mover with a nice tank, you’ve probably got some of the highest potential in the draft. How do you go about fulfilling that potential?
Trying to get fitter and be able to run out games. I think that will come by doing more and more pre-seasons. I’d like to have a bit more of an impact late in quarters instead of five-minute bursts here and there.
Have you been told you need to hit a specific weight?
No. Because I’m still growing, they’re just letting me find what weight I’m going to be around. Obviously if I get too heavy it’s going to make it harder to run out quarters, so if that starts to happen, I’ll know that I need to lose a bit of weight.
How have you managed to cope with the frustrations of a long-term injury and seeing all these guys shoot up the draft board playing good footy?
It’s been pretty hard, especially on the good sunny days where it’s perfect for a game of footy. I sort of got a bit jealous, but still being around the football club was good and keeping active in the gym and doing jobs on game day.
Do you have a number in mind in terms of where you want to go?
No. Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity somewhere.
Is there a specific AFL team out there that you think you would fit into especially well?
Not really.
Do you have a goal in mind for year one in the AFL?
Just to play as soon as possible. And for the pre-season, it would be to just build on my tank and have the capability to run out games.
What’s your biggest concern competing at the next level?
It’s not a concern, but probably the full-on days could get pretty draining. But I think I’d adjust to it.
What’s the one criticism about your game that you keep hearing that you don’t actually agree with?
I don’t know. The one that comes up is my fitness and I agree with that. It’s something I need to address and it’s been a big focus for me. But there hasn’t been anything that I’ve disagreed with that’s been said.
Let’s say you’re playing AFL and you start to hear some negative things toward you from social media trolls or get taunted at a game, how do you think you’ll react?
I don’t think it would faze me too much. There are voices inside the club that are more important that are worth listening to.
Flip it around. Let’s say you’re playing really good footy and the Wayne Careys of the world are saying you’re a star and worth a massive contract, how would you react to that?
Same as the negative stuff. Block it out and listen to the people at the club.
You’ve said the biggest things you value in life are your family and your home. You’re most likely going to be living in another state. How do you think you’ll go with that?
I don’t worry about it. It’s another opportunity to see more of Australia and experience something new.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve had this year?
To stay diligent in my rehab while I’m injured and remain disciplined with the dietary component of training.
Do you put on weight easier than most people?
No. My skinfolds and my weight are pretty consistent. Living in a boarding house I’m always pretty active, so it’s quite hard to put on weight.
Do you think you could contribute in an AFL grand final as the player you are today?
I’m not too sure. That’s a tough question. At this stage probably not, but once I get a pre-season under my belt and with the year-long experience of being in an AFL environment, I think I would be able to be an influence in a grand final.
