LACHIE Fogarty sat down in the Carlton Media studio at the conclusion of another big day.
Bluebaggers who ventured down to IKON Park on Friday were treated to a three-hour session, capped off by the longest match simulation drill of the summer so far. It continues a summer where raising the bar and chasing consistency has been a key focus for all at the Blues.
For Fogarty in particular, it’s something which he’s well and truly feeling. After all, he’s barely done a pre-season training block over the last few years.
His first impressions to sum it up?
“Solid, mate. It was intense.
“That’s the one thing I’ve certainly noticed. Having not really done the last two pre-seasons, the intensity of the training has been huge — but that’s a good thing. It’s really testing the boys out, and to everyone’s credit, I think everybody’s responding really well.”
It’s been a while between drinks, so it comes as no surprise that Fogarty often heads home and doesn't have much left in the tank.
“I’ll go home and often she’ll go ‘are you alright? You’re a bit quiet’. I have to remind her ‘Em, I’m just absolutely exhausted: I'm sorry I'm not giving you much!’.
“It’s been full on, it’s been tough. But it’s a good thing. There’s nothing worse than being injured and seeing all the boys getting after it, especially doing it together. You feel isolated when you’re going through your rehab, so every opportunity I get to train, I really enjoy it.”
And if Fogarty wants someone to bounce some ideas off around family, he can always go to Emily’s dad — who is no stranger to training at IKON Park.
Emily is the daughter of former Blue Mark Arceri, Carlton player No.971 who featured in two seasons for the Blues after a prior stint at North Melbourne before finishing his career at St Kilda. Coincidentally, Arceri’s first game in Navy Blue came against Geelong — the team where Fogarty started his career before his trade at the end of 2020.
“There are a few chats. He’s good to talk to, it’s good to get his perspective. He was pretty similar in that he went through a few different injuries over his career and he had to manage those, plus he was a similar player in that he was a small forward that could go into the midfield as well.”
That’s the first admission from Fogarty. He’s a forward-mid these days, not a mid-forward. “I think I’ve just got to accept it now!”
But it’s a role which he admits he absolutely relishes. Often cited out by Carlton’s players as the kind of teammate they love to run out alongside, Fogarty’s attributes were on full display when he overcame a lengthy injury absence to return in Round 14 against Gold Coast last season.
With the exception of one game he missed through injury, Fogarty was a mainstay from that point on.
“Us small forwards play a hard role. It’s a hard-working role. But we certainly get recognised by all the coaches and our teammates for the role we play: it’s not the most rewarding role at times, but to be honest, I love playing it and doing a job for my teammates.
“You’ve got the big bulls in there, and I’m just the small guy that tries to give them a chop out when they need it. I do enjoy getting into the midfield when I can, getting a few centre bounces is always nice. Myself and David Cuningham were going through the middle a little bit more, and you can put Elijah Hollands in that group now definitely.”
Naturally, during his layoff, Fogarty went through a few struggles.
But not once did he doubt that he could get back to doing what he loves.
He’s often spoken of the influence that teammate George Hewett had on him when both were going through their respective recoveries from back surgery, while he lauds the Club’s AFL Physiotherapist Will Tardif, who played a key role in keeping the bigger picture front of mind on a long road back.
Yet what was potentially the biggest thing for him was the clarity and purpose he found off the field.
“Even in 2022, I was emergency a few times and I always felt like I was close. I was playing some decent VFL footy, but deep down I knew I wasn’t at my best. I felt that was because of the physical stuff with my back, and I felt if I got that right I could get to the level again: I’ve always had the confidence I could play a role for the team.
“One thing I struggled with is that my footy would determine how I was feeling off-field. I ended up going a work internship at Kookaburra doing all sorts of things - looking at the marketing side, HR - and was also doing two subjects at uni. I’m doing Commerce, majoring in Finance.
“I felt it really took my mind off footy, it was massive for me in terms of my mental approach. But it also helped my footy.”
We saw the results of that in 2023. Now onto 2024.
