Jake Trbojevic believes Jamal Fogarty's steady hand as an organising playmaker can finally help end Manly's long and desperate search for consistency.
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Fogarty will have his second outing for Manly in Sunday's clash with Newcastle, as he fills the biggest shoes in rugby league by replacing one of the Sea Eagles' greatest ever No.7s in Daly Cherry-Evans.
Last week's opening-round loss that was emblematic of Manly's past few years, marking the sixth time since the start of 2014 they have surrendered a lead of 14 points or more.
Consistency has long been an issue within games and across rounds, with Manly holding a far superior record against top-four teams over the past two years as opposed to bottom four.
"We've worked really hard on it, even though I know last weekend wasn't a great example of that," Trbojevic said.
"I think (Jamal) can really help us. He is a really consistent and stable player, does the same job every week.
"We've got to give him time. It's a big change for him, coming from Canberra to a new team, we play completely different styles."
Fogarty's arrival at Manly remains the biggest change in the No.7 any club has ever experienced.
Until last week, no member of Manly's current squad had started a season in maroon and white without Cherry-Evans as their general.
His 16-season run as Manly's half is the longest in the club's history, while his 352 matches as Sea Eagles No.7 is the most of any player at halfback at any club.
On the field, Fogarty's right-edge second-rower Haumole Olakau'atu maintained there is no big difference to his game while receiving the ball from a new No.7.
"It doesn't really change the way I play, because I still tell them what I want," Olakau'atu said.
"Jamma is more the into my face, just non-stop chatting to me, which is a good thing. Because I need it when I am lacking focus.
"Where Chez was more cruisy and getting me to stay calm."
Five-eighth Luke Brooks also believed there were minimal changes to his game, suggesting if anything there was less responsibility to organise alongside Fogarty compared to a running half in Cherry-Evans.
"It's still similar, they call the plays and I will organise my edge or whatever shape we want off the back of it," Brooks said.
"Probably Jamma is a bit more dominant, where seeing Chez in the No.6 (at the Roosters) it probably suits his game.
"He was a bit more off the cuff and pulled things from nowhere.
"Whereas Jamal is probably a bit more of a traditional halfback, get to the points and kick to where we want to kick to."
Australian Associated Press
