AFL: Adelaide Crows forward Darcy Fogarty on his plans for 2022, Taylor Walker and life on the farm
Darcy Fogarty has opened up on his relationship with Taylor Walker and how Adelaide plans to fill the void left by its suspended spearhead.
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Darcy Fogarty is up not long after sunrise, ready for a day of shifting sheep and cattle.
The 22-year-old is back home near Lucindale on his mum’s partner’s farm, working with him and three others to help prepare stock for upcoming sales.
While many footballers use their off-seasons to travel, if not overseas then to a beach somewhere, Fogarty prefers the comfort of the small town in SA’s southeast.
The Crows forward goes there when he can to relax, reset and lend a hand, in what he hopes is a glimpse into his future.
“It gives me a good break from Adelaide,” Fogarty tells News Corp.
“Hopefully I can get a bit more exposure to it as I get older then transition into it hopefully after footy.
“Things can obviously change, but if I had it my way at this point in time, I’d go back to the farm.
“Hopefully I can get into a position to one day buy one.”
Fogarty was home for about three or four weeks of his two-and-a-half month off-season.
Days on the farm usually start about 7.30am and can finish as late as 7pm.
“If I’m not needed I can do whatever I want and mosey on through, but if it’s flat out I have to help out,” he says.
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Fogarty has also been gaining experience during pre-season – as a forward-line focal point without Taylor Walker.
With Walker suspended for the first three minor rounds because of his racial vilification indiscretion, the club has been playing the veteran in weaker sides in match simulations and made him unavailable for practice games.
That means Fogarty, Riley Thilthorpe and Elliott Himmelberg have to lead the Crows’ young forwards.
“Everyone’s really excited,” he says.
“We’ve got a massive responsibility with Tex not being there so we have to step up and we won’t be able to lean on him.
“He’ll be there through the week to learn off but ultimately on game day it’ll be up to us to be the leaders and be the focal points.”
Fogarty disagrees with the notion some critics hold that he performs better without Walker.
Not only does Walker help him on the field, he is a close mate and sounding board off it.
“He’s taught me heaps since I’ve been here and he’s someone I can lean on when things are getting a bit tough,” he says.
In December 2020, Walker posted an Instagram photo of a shirtless Fogarty, suggesting he was fitter than ever.
Fogarty conceded a month later he had been inconsistent and not fit enough during his career.
To that point, the 2017 No. 12 draft pick had booted 26 goals from 24 games in three seasons.
Last year he started the minor round in the reserves and finished the campaign with career highs in matches (17) and majors (24).
Fogarty uses a similar tone to a year ago when he talks about his form last season.
“I thought it was a little bit inconsistent,” he says.
“I did some good things for periods of games then just fell out of it for the rest.
“I just didn’t have an impact in some games.
“I need to focus on being able to get to more contests, which was a focus this pre-season, and that will allow me to play more consistent games.”
Fogarty says he does not get enough disposals, which stems from fading in and out of games.
He cites fitness and concentration lapses for not getting to as many contests as he wants.
Last season the Crows played Fogarty in the midfield several times to help address those issues.
Fogarty knows fitness is not his strong suit, so he has to play catch up over summer.
But he says has completed new high-performance boss Darren Burgess’s programs as well as he can and feels fitter than at the same time last year.
“He didn’t want anyone coasting through and saving themselves for the last efforts,” says Fogarty, who is hovering around the same weight as the end of last year when he dropped a few kilos.
“He wanted people to be burnt out and gassed as quickly as possible, and then they could keep going and push through, and build the (fitness) base.”
Fogarty hopes improved fitness can ensure more second and third efforts.
His aim for 2022 is “being a consistent contributor each week and just playing my role”.
“That means being able to compete and pressure and hold the ball in there,” he says.
“Those things will allow me to be in games more.”
Fogarty is contracted until the end of 2023 after re-signing midway through last year.
Excitement at the club’s direction and his ties to SA made it an easy decision.
“I didn’t really want to go anywhere else,” he says.
By the time his contract ends, Walker will probably have hung up his boots.
The attack Crows fans will see in the first three rounds may also be their forward line for years to come.
“Hopefully if we can get some games into me, Elliott and Thilthorpe, we can build some continuity, learn how each other plays and hopefully it sets us up well for the future,”
“Everyone in the forward line has pretty well played under 50 games so it’s exciting for everyone to grow.”
Adelaide’s forwards received little supply in the club’s first practice match on Friday – an 88-point loss to Brisbane at Metricon Stadium.
Fogarty and the Crows will be looking for better performances in their next trial against Port Adelaide at Richmond Oval on Saturday.
Before he gets that chance, Fogarty has headed home again – virtually.
As part of the Crows’ community camp this week, he was set for a Zoom call to Lucindale Area School, which he attended until Year 9 before moving to Adelaide.
Sydney’s Will Gould and Carlton great Andrew McKay are also from the town.
Other Crows from the southeast are Mitch Hinge from Mundulla, Jordan Dawson (Robe) and Luke Pedlar (Kingston).
“It’s good to show my face and reconnect with all the people back home,” Fogarty says.
“I don’t know too many of the students there at the moment but there’s still a few teachers that were there when I was.”
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