Jamal Fogarty can’t help but look back fondly on 2020.
In what was a year like no other, it was also the year that the 26-year-old halfback established himself as an NRL player.
Not in the Titans squad at the start of the year, Fogarty finished 2020 with the number #7 jersey, a stint as Club captain and 18 games under his belt.
After a decorated career in the Queensland Cup, including winning the 2019 Intrust Super Cup for the Burleigh Bears and collecting a Petero Civoniceva medal as the best player in the competition, Fogarty returned to the Titans during the NRL's COVID break.
By seasons end, he had emerged as one of the Titans most important players.
In further good news for the Gold Coast, the halfback has committed long term and is part of the side until at least the end of the 2022 season.
"I think it is really exciting for myself as coach to have Jamal extend at the Club," Justin Holbrook said.
"He has shown what he has done for the team and also individually how much he has improved over the back half of this year.
"It's exciting that he is going to have a full pre-season and a couple of years with us.”
Holbrook and Assistant Coaches Jim Dymock and Jim Lenihan also acknowledged Fogarty’s season, naming him the 2020 Coaches Award winner.
“It’s obviously a privilege and an honour to get the compliments from the coaches,” Fogarty said.
“The coaching staff have been very patient and have had to bide their time with me coming in a little bit later but I think they’ve done a great job with someone like myself to give me confidence week-to-week.
“We started off a bit slow and shaky but by the back half of the season we were pretty confident and got some good performances in.
“This year has been a whole lot of fun, so hopefully we can look after ourselves in the off-season and give next year a good shake.”
The Beaudesert junior formed a lethal combination with Ash Taylor in the halves, with the pair guiding the Titans to a club record equalling five-straight wins to finish the season.
Fogarty showcased his attacking skills with 10 try assists, 9 line break assists and 11 forced dropouts while also averaging 90 running metres per game.
With a full pre-season under his belt, the half-back will be a crucial cog in the Titans tilt in 2021.
