Why Foran will have no dramas pulling his former teammates into line

Interim Manly NRL coach Kieran Foran says he’ll have no trouble pulling into line Sea Eagles players who he played alongside less than four years ago.

Foran chose a largely unchanged line-up for his first mission as a head coach since replacing Anthony Seibold, against the Dolphins in Redcliffe on Thursday. The former Kiwi international took on the role after just three matches as an assistant, and three-and-a-half years since he was a Manly player.

The 35-year-old takes charge of a winless Sea Eagles squad that contains nine players – Jake Trbojevic, Tom Trbojevic, Ben Trbojevic, Haumole Olakau’atu, Reuben Garrick, Jason Saab, Taniela Paseka, Toluta’u Koula and Ethan Bullemor – with whom he has shared the field with during his playing days on the northern beaches.

Now charged with mentoring those same players, Foran said he’ll have no issue reminding them of who is boss.

“I never shied away from tough conversations as a player and it certainly doesn’t bother me as a coach, having tough conversations,” Foran said at Brookvale on Wednesday.

“That’s part of my nature, I’m as honest as it comes. I’m straight down the line, I was like that as a player. I had no problem telling my teammates if they weren’t doing a good enough job and I don’t have a problem doing it now.

“In my position I have to do it and it comes quite naturally to me.

“The guys that I played with, there’s no concern whether I need to give them a bit of a chip or if I need to make tough decisions.

“They know that, they know the sort of person I am. It will be pretty clear cut.”

Not since Craig Young went from Dragons player in 1988 to coaching the club the following season has anyone made such a quick transition to the clipboard brigade. However, Foran doesn’t believe his age or lack of an apprenticeship will be an impediment.

“If you look at my journey, was I too young to captain the Kiwis at 22? There’s been nothing normal about my playing career,” Foran said.

“Age is a number, right? People make decisions based on who you are as a person, your values, your standard, what you can hold people to. It wouldn’t matter if you’re 35 or 55.

“I think everyone knows what I am and who I am and ultimately, like I said, I’ll be judged on whether I can get results. If all goes to plan and I get results, I don’t think age will be an issue.”

Manly halfback Jamal Fogarty led an impassioned defence of Seibold on Monday. With Manly chief executive Jason King standing within earshot, Fogarty said it was “pretty disappointing” Seibold was sacked three games into the season.

Foran said it was admirable that Fogarty showed loyalty to the coach who signed him.

“Jamal’s a very caring bloke,” Foran said.

“He cares deeply about his teammates and his club and his coaches and he would have cared deeply about Anthony. Anthony signed him to the Manly jersey so there’s no doubt that Jamal was coming from a place of deep care and obviously he had Anthony in the forefront of his mind.

“But at the end of the day, Jamal’s got to get on with the job and he knows that.

“He’s a professional. He knows that he’s here for the next three years and he’s just fully focused on that.”

Foran said he would lean on Des Hasler – who was twice sacked by the Sea Eagles – as one of the former mentors he would seek advice from.

“Des brought me through as a kid, I loved his style of coaching,” Foran said.

“I finished my career under Dessie and spent the majority of my playing days under his style of coaching.”