Kieran Foran: repay blood and love with loyalty clause
March 25, 2014
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/kieran-foran-repay-blood-and-love-with-loyalty-clause-20140325-hvmn0.html
Manly superstar Kieran Foran has condemned what has become the accepted commercial reality of the NRL that means an account's book and "figures" could render meaningless the loyalty his teammate and friend Glenn Stewart has shown the Sea Eagles since 2003.
Foran also urged for the game's hierarchy to officially acknowledge the value of a long-term player's loyalty by accommodating it with dispensations in the salary cap.
The Kiwi international feared it was a poor reflection on rugby league that players now lived in terror of "the tap on the shoulder" once they had reached a certain age and he used Stewart, who made his debut for the Sea Eagles 11 years ago, as his example.
"For a guy like Glenn, who has played his career at Manly, put his heart and soul into the jersey . . . he shouldn't have to go, he shouldn't have to pack up and move to another club just because of figures – it's not right," said Foran, who was battling a calf injury before Friday's match against the Sydney Roosters.
"He should be given every opportunity to play out his career at this club and finish here, where he wants to finish, alongside his brother [Brett], alongside his teammates at the club that he loves. He shouldn't have to pack up and go. I've said that about other players; Brent Kite, I didn't want to see him go either."
Foran said the mere notion that a player of Stewart's standing at Manly faced the prospect of being shopped around like a lump of meat due to salary cap restraints, despite his years of service to the Sea Eagles, presented a poor message to players who were expected to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of their team and teammates.
"There would've been times years ago when Glenn probably had attractive offers from other clubs but he turned around and said 'no' to them and stayed here," Foran said. "It's happened to other guys in the game and I'm not telling people to feel sorry for Glenn because he wouldn't want that. My point is: if there's blokes who've played their careers at a joint, there should be a salary cap exemption that allows them to stay.
"Football is fast becoming that sort of business where there's every possibility later in your career that you get tapped on the shoulder and told to 'move on'. It's just part of reality and it is part of something that's, unfortunately, now a part of the game.
"It's extremely unfortunate as Glenn is a good mate of mine, he's one of my best mates, and I don't want to see him go.
"I've said it a number of times before but he and his brother are a huge part of this club, they've helped build this culture along with a lot of the senior boys who've been a part of the success, the grand finals over the years."
Stewart told the media on Tuesday that it felt "weird" to think his manager would need to negotiate a deal for him to play in rival colours, and against his brother, if Manly could not accommodate him.
"I'd love to stay here [but I'm] under no illusions, I know what the salary cap does," Stewart said. "We're just waiting to hear back from Manly.
"It's a pretty weird feeling, I haven't had to deal with it before but I've seen mates have to go through it and it's a strange thing. It's new to me so I'll just play it as it comes."
