![Jamal Fogarty is using the Green Machine's new assistant coach to highlight his weaknesses and then work on them. Picture by Karleen Minney Jamal Fogarty is using the Green Machine's new assistant coach to highlight his weaknesses and then work on them. Picture by Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/reqbnGrLXyZFax2TwSi3Na/c0a14b5c-4571-4de4-acaf-5d38bf5220b0.jpg/r0_66_4256_2459_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Jamal Fogarty's already started using Michael Maguire for Canberra Raiders good rather than evil.
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The halfback's using the Green Machine's new assistant coach to highlight his weaknesses and then work on them.
Fogarty has spoken to the former Wests Tigers and South Sydney coach about how he targeted the 28-year-old when they came up against each other during the playmaker's time at the Gold Coast.
Now he's using Maguire's knowledge to improve his game during the pre-season as the Green Machine looks to go deeper into the NRL finals in 2023.
Part of that will be using Maguire's intellectual property.
"Having coached against us that was one thing I spoke to him about," Fogarty said.
"Coaches target little fellas on the edge and that's me to a tee so I asked him what were a couple of things you pointed out as a coach to Wests Tigers.
"And that's a couple of things I want to fix so that's something we're going to work on in the early parts of this pre-season."
The other part will be the natural improvement of his halves pairing with Jack Wighton.
Wighton will begin pre-season in January, having helped Australia win the Rugby League World Cup in England.
The Canberra five-eighth and Fogarty played just 12 games together last season, due to Fogarty's knee injury and Wighton's State of Origin commitments.
Fogarty felt getting more games together was the key.
"Just cohesion and time on the field - that's what it comes down to," he said.
"You can do as much prep as you want during the week and in the pre-season, but when you're out there on the field together that's when you build your best combinations.
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"We only played 10 or so games together so the more we play [next] year the better we're going to be."
Wighton impressed at the World Cup with the way he seamlessly adapted to his role at right centre.
Traditionally he's played on the left - at either centre or at five-eighth - but showed his versatility for Mal Meninga's Kangaroos.
It highlighted the prospect of him drifting to the right to team up with Fogarty - and bringing his damaging running game with him.
"I don't think either side of the field bothers him - Jacko's just a footballer," Fogarty said.
"He's not a left-hand-side player or a right-hand-side player, he just roams.
"Whenever Jacko's on the ball with a bit of time and space he's probably one of the most damaging five-eighths."
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