Kieran Foran to honour Eels deal, declining Sea Eagles’ late bid to retain Kiwi five-eighth
KIERAN Foran is expected to decline a multi-million lifetime contract with the Manly Sea Eagles, with Parramatta positioned to salvage a deal with the Kiwi Test five-eighth.
Eels coach Brad Arthur and head of football operations Daniel Anderson have been forced into an uneasy truce, with the duo attempting to put aside ongoing professional animosity to try and salvage bringing the Kiwi Test five-eighth to the Eels next season.
Arthur has been in regular telephone contact with Foran, attempting to convince the Manly five-eighth that despite the Eels appearing like a complete basket case, he should still join them on a four-year contract.
Power clubs Sydney Roosters and Canterbury closely monitoring the situation and ready to strike.
While Manly strategic consultant of football and rugby league Immortal Bob Fulton has crunched the numbers and was prepared to offer Foran an even bigger contract than Daly Cherry-Evans, the five-eighth is eyeing the Roosters or the Bulldogs.
The hook at the Roosters is the great friendship between Foran and Tricolours club captain Mitchell Pearce, with the duo attending North Sydney’s Marist College together as teenagers.
The Kiwi Test five-eighth and the NSW Origin halfback has always stated a desire to play together in the NRL at some point, with Roosters powerbrokers holding preliminary discussions late last year.
But the Tricolours opted never to seriously enter the race for Foran’s signature then, with the five-eighth hellbent on linking with the Eels to be coached by Brad Arthur.
The Bulldogs were also heavily interested in signing Foran prior to the announcement he was joining the Eels, with coach Des Hasler enjoying a father-son style relationship with him.
The pair won a premiership together at the Manly Sea Eagles in 2011, before Halser attempted to get Foran to Canterbury-Bankstown for the 2013 season.
Foran was so close to signing with the Bulldogs he even went to dinner at Hasler’s home to personally deliver the news about why he was remaining at Manly.
Both the Roosters and the Bulldogs would need to make some roster adjustments in order to accommodate Foran, with the Tricolours having already let star players James Maloney and Roger Tuivasa-Scheck go for next season.
Winger Daniel Tupou is also off-contract and unlikely to remain, while the club could also opt to allow a couple of other players to depart on early releases to take up better opportunities elsewhere.
At Canterbury NSW Origin halfback Trent Hodkinson has been told he is free to test his market value, with the No. 7 expected to join either the Newcastle Knights or the Gold Coast Titans.
Foran’s agent, Paul Sutton, held a meeting with salary cap auditor Jamie L’Oste-Brown at NRL headquarters on Wednesday to check whether the contract signed by ex-CEO Scott Seward, including the $1 million get-out clause, still stood.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Parramatta head of football operations Anderson was sent a signed copy of this version of the contract on May 13, meaning the Eels should have been aware of its contents from then on.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...kiwi-five-eighth/story-fnp0lyn3-1227413419576
Good news would have been absolutely ridiculous to sign two players over a million dollars.
This journo normally knows what's going on hope he's correct.
lol we are not even in his top three for option.