Interim Manly NRL coach Kieran Foran says heโll 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 โ Jake Trbojevic, Tom Trbojevic, Ben Trbojevic, Haumole Olakauโatu, Reuben Garrick, Jason Saab, Taniela Paseka, Tolutaโu Koula and Ethan Bullemor โ 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 heโll have no issue reminding them of who is boss.
โI never shied away from tough conversations as a player and it certainly doesnโt bother me as a coach, having tough conversations,โ Foran said at Brookvale on Wednesday.
โThatโs part of my nature, Iโm as honest as it comes. Iโm straight down the line, I was like that as a player. I had no problem telling my teammates if they werenโt doing a good enough job and I donโt have a problem doing it now.
โIn my position I have to do it and it comes quite naturally to me.
โThe guys that I played with, thereโs no concern whether I need to give them a bit of a chip or if I need to make tough decisions.
โThey know that, they know the sort of person I am. It will be pretty clear cut.โ
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 doesnโt believe his age or lack of an apprenticeship will be an impediment.
โIf you look at my journey, was I too young to captain the Kiwis at 22? Thereโs been nothing normal about my playing career,โ Foran said.
โAge 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 wouldnโt matter if youโre 35 or 55.
โI think everyone knows what I am and who I am and ultimately, like I said, Iโll be judged on whether I can get results. If all goes to plan and I get results, I donโt think age will be an issue.โ
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 โpretty disappointingโ Seibold was sacked three games into the season.
Foran said it was admirable that Fogarty showed loyalty to the coach who signed him.
โJamalโs a very caring bloke,โ Foran said.
โHe 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 thereโs no doubt that Jamal was coming from a place of deep care and obviously he had Anthony in the forefront of his mind.
โBut at the end of the day, Jamalโs got to get on with the job and he knows that.
โHeโs a professional. He knows that heโs here for the next three years and heโs just fully focused on that.โ
Foran said he would lean on Des Hasler โ who was twice sacked by the Sea Eagles โ as one of the former mentors he would seek advice from.
โDes brought me through as a kid, I loved his style of coaching,โ Foran said.
โI finished my career under Dessie and spent the majority of my playing days under his style of coaching.โ
