Some worrying lines in this
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaynews/4675153a19773.html
Warriors' Foran legion
AARON LAWTON - Sunday News | Sunday, 31 August 2008
FRUSTRATED at playing second fiddle to Cooper Cronk at the Melbourne Storm, new Warriors halfback Liam Foran has declared 2009 will be the year he breaks the shackles and fires up on rugby league's biggest stage.
And he's also revealed he has plans to lure his younger brother Keiran to play alongside him.
Liam Foran the talented Junior Kiwis playmaker who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors just over a week ago has been earmarked as the answer to the club's halfback woes.
It won't be until next year that he has the chance to prove himself as the chosen one but as of now one thing's certain, he's not afraid to back himself.
"I'm definitely ready. I'm really eager and I would back myself 100 percent," Foran told Sunday News.
"Come next year, I think I will be 100 percent ready to lead a team.
"It's a position where if you aren't totally confident in your abilities you can get yourself in trouble.
"I'm pretty sure, if given the job as starting halfback, I could do it."
Foran says he signed with the Warriors in part because of his New Zealand heritage.
He was born in Auckland but moved to Australia with his family at the age of 11.
"I see a really good opportunity at the Warriors next year for me," said Foran.
"I'm a Kiwi and it was a great chance to come back home.
"I miss New Zealand a fair bit but the biggest one was definitely the opportunity.
"There aren't too many halves at the club and with two years behind Cooper Cronk at the Storm, I think if I can have a pretty good pre-season learning the style of footy the boys play in New Zealand the opportunity is there for me to play halfback for the club."
Although he's enjoyed playing in the Storm's under-20s side, Foran says the opportunities to play first-grade footy in Australia have been few and far between.
"It has been frustrating playing behind Cooper at the Storm," he said.
"Obviously you play rugby league to play first-grade footy.
"Playing behind a bloke like Cooper, who is so dominant, rarely gets injured and is a massive part of the Storm team, it's very hard to really get a shot."
Foran met with Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and director of football John Hart a few weeks ago when he flew to New Zealand with the Storm side.
His impression of the duo, he says, was one of the reasons he quickly decided to put pen to paper.
"When I came over a few weeks ago to play the Junior Warriors, I stayed an extra day and had a meeting with Ivan and John," said Foran.
"We sat down and we had a good chat, the three of us. I'd never met either of them before and it was good to have a talk.
"I came away from the meeting feeling like they were good blokes and honest people.
"I got on with them both really well."
Unlike Auckland-bound Broncos Joel Moon and Denan Kemp, who will join up with the Warriors at the same time, Foran says club bosses have promised him nothing.
Moon made headlines earlier in the year when he admitted he had been told Michael Witt's No 6 jersey was his in 2009, while Kemp also let slip he'd been promised the goal-kicking duties.
"They (Cleary and Hart) were completely honest with me and they stressed the fact they were promising me nothing," said Foran. "That's kind of the way I like it. I don't want to be promised anything because I want to earn my position and place in the first-grade side.
"I've been taught a lot in the last couple of years under Craig Bellamy and his staff.
"I feel I can take that job and do the duty."
Foran and younger brother Keiran, who is contracted to the Sea Eagles, are considered in some league circles to be the next big thing as a halves combination.
Keiran, two years younger than Liam, signalled to Sunday News a month ago he would love to play alongside his older brother.
"We want to play together but both of us want to pave our way individually first," said Keiran at the time.
"We feel it would be right for us to get to first-grade on our own before we look at playing together.
"It's definitely something we want to do down the track."
As far as brothers go, these two are as close as you can get, often talking on the phone two or three times a day.
Liam sought his brother's advice before signing with the Warriors and, more importantly, believes he might be able to recruit his talented sibling across to Mt Smart in the near future.
"I was certainly interested in his thoughts on whether I should take the job," he said.
"He basically said to me, `Mate, you have to take it. You have to take this deal'.
"He told me it was a great opportunity.
"I was in total agreement with him and I quickly made up my mind to take the deal.
"After I signed, I spoke to him and asked him whether he would consider joining me at the club when it comes time for him to negotiate a new deal.
"He basically said to me he would follow me and do whatever I do.
"If everything goes good, I certainly think I can lure him over to the Warriors."
Keiran is contracted to the Sea Eagles until 2010 but, according to his brother, is one Kiwi boy the Warriors are certainly keeping an eye on.
"They told me they have been watching Keiran," he said.
"They think he's playing some good footy and they think he's a good upcoming player.
"They didn't talk about him too much but I think if the Warriors were interested in him I could certainly persuade him to come over here.
"I'm sure he would listen to his older brother."
Foran expects to move to Auckland in November and says he's looking forward to working with Warriors halves coach Stacey Jones more than anything else.
"One of the first questions I actually asked when I sat down with Ivan and John was whether Stacey Jones works fulltime here at the Warriors and whether he works with the halves," he said.
"I saw him doing a bit of work with the halves before the game in Auckland recently and I kind of saw myself working alongside him.
"He is an idol of mine and he will help my game immensely. He is someone that when I was young I used to look up to.
"His are big shoes to fill but I would love to do that, mate.
"I would love to be given the opportunity to lead a team that Stacey once did in the No 7 jersey.
"I want to stamp my authority on the Warriors like he did.
"When he was playing, he had a massive impact on the team and their performances."
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sundaynews/4675153a19773.html
Warriors' Foran legion
AARON LAWTON - Sunday News | Sunday, 31 August 2008
FRUSTRATED at playing second fiddle to Cooper Cronk at the Melbourne Storm, new Warriors halfback Liam Foran has declared 2009 will be the year he breaks the shackles and fires up on rugby league's biggest stage.
And he's also revealed he has plans to lure his younger brother Keiran to play alongside him.
Liam Foran the talented Junior Kiwis playmaker who signed a one-year deal with the Warriors just over a week ago has been earmarked as the answer to the club's halfback woes.
It won't be until next year that he has the chance to prove himself as the chosen one but as of now one thing's certain, he's not afraid to back himself.
"I'm definitely ready. I'm really eager and I would back myself 100 percent," Foran told Sunday News.
"Come next year, I think I will be 100 percent ready to lead a team.
"It's a position where if you aren't totally confident in your abilities you can get yourself in trouble.
"I'm pretty sure, if given the job as starting halfback, I could do it."
Foran says he signed with the Warriors in part because of his New Zealand heritage.
He was born in Auckland but moved to Australia with his family at the age of 11.
"I see a really good opportunity at the Warriors next year for me," said Foran.
"I'm a Kiwi and it was a great chance to come back home.
"I miss New Zealand a fair bit but the biggest one was definitely the opportunity.
"There aren't too many halves at the club and with two years behind Cooper Cronk at the Storm, I think if I can have a pretty good pre-season learning the style of footy the boys play in New Zealand the opportunity is there for me to play halfback for the club."
Although he's enjoyed playing in the Storm's under-20s side, Foran says the opportunities to play first-grade footy in Australia have been few and far between.
"It has been frustrating playing behind Cooper at the Storm," he said.
"Obviously you play rugby league to play first-grade footy.
"Playing behind a bloke like Cooper, who is so dominant, rarely gets injured and is a massive part of the Storm team, it's very hard to really get a shot."
Foran met with Warriors coach Ivan Cleary and director of football John Hart a few weeks ago when he flew to New Zealand with the Storm side.
His impression of the duo, he says, was one of the reasons he quickly decided to put pen to paper.
"When I came over a few weeks ago to play the Junior Warriors, I stayed an extra day and had a meeting with Ivan and John," said Foran.
"We sat down and we had a good chat, the three of us. I'd never met either of them before and it was good to have a talk.
"I came away from the meeting feeling like they were good blokes and honest people.
"I got on with them both really well."
Unlike Auckland-bound Broncos Joel Moon and Denan Kemp, who will join up with the Warriors at the same time, Foran says club bosses have promised him nothing.
Moon made headlines earlier in the year when he admitted he had been told Michael Witt's No 6 jersey was his in 2009, while Kemp also let slip he'd been promised the goal-kicking duties.
"They (Cleary and Hart) were completely honest with me and they stressed the fact they were promising me nothing," said Foran. "That's kind of the way I like it. I don't want to be promised anything because I want to earn my position and place in the first-grade side.
"I've been taught a lot in the last couple of years under Craig Bellamy and his staff.
"I feel I can take that job and do the duty."
Foran and younger brother Keiran, who is contracted to the Sea Eagles, are considered in some league circles to be the next big thing as a halves combination.
Keiran, two years younger than Liam, signalled to Sunday News a month ago he would love to play alongside his older brother.
"We want to play together but both of us want to pave our way individually first," said Keiran at the time.
"We feel it would be right for us to get to first-grade on our own before we look at playing together.
"It's definitely something we want to do down the track."
As far as brothers go, these two are as close as you can get, often talking on the phone two or three times a day.
Liam sought his brother's advice before signing with the Warriors and, more importantly, believes he might be able to recruit his talented sibling across to Mt Smart in the near future.
"I was certainly interested in his thoughts on whether I should take the job," he said.
"He basically said to me, `Mate, you have to take it. You have to take this deal'.
"He told me it was a great opportunity.
"I was in total agreement with him and I quickly made up my mind to take the deal.
"After I signed, I spoke to him and asked him whether he would consider joining me at the club when it comes time for him to negotiate a new deal.
"He basically said to me he would follow me and do whatever I do.
"If everything goes good, I certainly think I can lure him over to the Warriors."
Keiran is contracted to the Sea Eagles until 2010 but, according to his brother, is one Kiwi boy the Warriors are certainly keeping an eye on.
"They told me they have been watching Keiran," he said.
"They think he's playing some good footy and they think he's a good upcoming player.
"They didn't talk about him too much but I think if the Warriors were interested in him I could certainly persuade him to come over here.
"I'm sure he would listen to his older brother."
Foran expects to move to Auckland in November and says he's looking forward to working with Warriors halves coach Stacey Jones more than anything else.
"One of the first questions I actually asked when I sat down with Ivan and John was whether Stacey Jones works fulltime here at the Warriors and whether he works with the halves," he said.
"I saw him doing a bit of work with the halves before the game in Auckland recently and I kind of saw myself working alongside him.
"He is an idol of mine and he will help my game immensely. He is someone that when I was young I used to look up to.
"His are big shoes to fill but I would love to do that, mate.
"I would love to be given the opportunity to lead a team that Stacey once did in the No 7 jersey.
"I want to stamp my authority on the Warriors like he did.
"When he was playing, he had a massive impact on the team and their performances."
