Jamal Fogarty wants to stay at the Raiders as the club searches for halves partner

The Raiders will begin their finals campaign in Newcastle on Sunday and are confident they have the firepower to match the in-form Knights, with Fogarty to partner Matt Frawley in the halves and Jack Wighton waiting to strike in the centres.

But a post-season halves dilemma is brewing after Frawley confirmed his departure from the club, leaving Canberra with just one recognised NRL half for the 2024 campaign.

Wighton is joining South Sydney, Frawley is moving to the UK Super League and Brad Schneider is on the verge of signing with the Penrith Panthers after being released earlier this year.

It will leave Fogarty - who is signed until the end of 2024 - as the main man, but he is also considering his contract options and his manager wants to see what price he can command on the open market from November 1.

There are limited quality half options available for next year, which will likely see the Raiders either strike a deal to get someone to the capital early or invest in up and comers already on their books.

Ethan Strange and Josh James loom as the known quantities having led Canberra's reserve grade side this year, while Simi Sasaga will arrive from Newcastle and Hohepa Puru has played in the halves.

It leaves the Raiders in a vulnerable transitional period, but they do have plans to chase a key playmaker for 2025 if they can't secure one immediately.

"It's a bit tough, there's not much out there in the market," Fogarty told The Canberra Times.

"Me and Hudson [Young], we talk a little bit and see what's out there and try pick the brains of Sticky [Ricky Stuart] and toss up a few names.

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"But at the end of the day, that's up to them [the club], and it's up to us to just focus and play footy.

"I've told the club that I love the place here, and I don't want to leave."

Fogarty understands the reality of the situation is not ideal of course, with currently the only other halves options next season being 19-year-old Strange who made his NRL debut last month before returning to NSW Cup.

It's a precarious position, and 29-year-old Fogarty knows it.

"I am getting a little bit older, so they've got to look after their future," Fogarty said.

"We've got young kids that are going to be superstars in the next couple of years, but hopefully they can find guys that give us some depth.

"If I was to go down, we currently don't really have anyone else at halfback. So we need to sign players to give us a little bit of clarity.

"You look at all the teams that are at the top of the ladder, they've got really good depth and that's what you need if you're going to give the comp a shake."

Frawley was supposed to be the gap-filler to give the Raiders a bit of cover when Wighton left the club.

He hasn't started many games for the Raiders, but Frawley has shown he's capable of stepping up to NRL level and playing a role when needed.

In the last few weeks Frawley might've even be able to develop some momentum with Fogarty to build on.

But that planning all went out the window when Frawley decided to sign with Leeds after this season. The Canberra product said it was a hard decision to make, but one that came down to having "more security".

"For my career going forward, getting two years over there is going to be the best thing for me and my family," he said.

"It's really exciting. It's an opportunity that's been in the pipeline for a couple of weeks now. I had a decision to make to either stay here, or take the offer at Leeds.

"I leave here on really good terms with the club and Canberra's my home. I'll be back even when I retire, so it's not really goodbye forever, it's just going to be a new chapter for myself and my fiancee, and we're really excited to get over there.

"It's a dream come true playing for this club, but I think I've made the right move."

Frawley said he was attracted to the life experience that comes with moving to the United Kingdom, and also the chance to challenge himself again at a "big club that expect success".

There's no set timetable on when Frawley will head over to Europe just yet, and Leeds aren't putting pressure on him with his NRL finals campaign ongoing, but he has pencilled in a debrief with exiting Rhino and another former Raider, Aidan Sezer.

Frawley's recruitment to Leeds came upon the departure of Sezer - and another ex-Raider Blake Austin - which could help the former Huddersfield player.

"Aidan went to Huddersfield when I came back here, and now I'm going to Leeds and he's coming to Australia," Frawley said. "He's done really well over there, so I'll be picking his brain on how he approached things over there."

For now the duo of Fogarty and Frawley must put aside what happens after this season if they're to make a deep finals run.

Wighton's shift to the centres with Frawley wearing No.6 on his back was not what many would have predicted had the Raiders made it to the finals, but that's their reality, and the halves pairing believe the chemistry is there to be successful.

"To be trusted and have a spot and team at this time of year gives me a lot of confidence," Frawley said. "I want to repay that to everyone and finish off on a good note."

"I don't think it changes a whole lot for us," Fogarty added. "I feel since the Broncos game we've really found a bit of a groove there. Frawls helps us take control of the left side and the way Jacko played on the weekend, he was our best player.

"So the more times that we can play together, we're going to get better, and hopefully this weekend is not our last."

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