Kieran Foran is trying to get his life and career back on track — so why has the sympathy dried up?

WHEN Kieran Foran revealed he had attempted suicide, everyone in the game had sympathy. Why has that changed now he’s considering an NRL return, writes PAUL KENT.

THE ratio of distance is claiming another one.

When Kieran Foran first went down, a life in turmoil, a universal shot of sympathy was sent his way by anyone that had ever shown even a passing interest in the NRL and many that hadn’t.

It had come to this? It failed to get better.

Weeks removed from his final game he confessed, in a sadly formed view that it would somehow be the solution, that life got so hard he attempted suicide.

Again, sympathy was overwhelming. Time passes, though, we all move on.

The electricity bill needs to be paid and the kids have homework and on top of that Manly are no longer in the finals, the boss is giving me a headache and ... what’s this?

The good feelings towards Kieran Foran appear to have dried up.

It was the ratio of distance, kicking in. The further we got from Foran’s fall and subsequent wail for help the less sympathy we managed to muster for him. Even though his situation did not significantly change at all.

Wherever he was, Foran was still there battling, if not every move he made was really a benefit. That is part of recovery too, though.

Then, the moment news emerges he is considering a return to the NRL next season — for the Warriors, of all clubs — well, you can forget anything ever said before.

The response was varied. Who cares? said some, sick of hearing about him.

How is it fair the Warriors can fit him and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck under the cap? He should be made to go back to Parramatta, said others.

The NRL should not register him until 2018, that’ll teach him.

Foran still deserves support from those in the game.

Foran is a long way from being game ready. The recovery is not even half complete. Since entering recovery he has even admitted to being bipolar, meaning there is no guarantee he will ever be completely free.

Who cares about that, though, if he is talking about playing for the Warriors? The Warriors are a solid choice for Foran. The benefits are many.

He escapes the white hot focus of life in Sydney and what it means to be an NRL player to get on with feeling better about himself. He has aunts and uncles and cousins in New Zealand, all concerned at keeping him healthy and happy.

These are incidentals for NRL fans who demand their piece of justice. Forget his recovery is a long way from over.

The Warriors’ Jim Doyle and coach Andrew McFadden are ready to talk to Foran.

Warriors boss Jim Doyle put out a statement on Tuesday confirming no more than he said the day before, that he will be interested in Foran when he is interested in talking about his future, but it was a confirmation.

Be sure, the Warriors are interested. They will get Foran at a price that will see the accounts department send Doyle a bouquet of flowers.

What they can offer over that is what Foran sees as his best chance to recover and then relaunch as an NRL player. He cares little for contract money at the moment.

He is prepared to take substantially less to play at the Warriors and back himself to perform as such a level his asking price for the following season will go a long way to compensating whatever shortfall there is next season.

More, he is not thinking so much about playing again, but the mechanics of playing when he does.

Foran wants to escape the NRL circus.

Already his mind has turned towards his kicking game, aware that kicking nowadays is what separates the good ones from the great ones, whether you’re talking player or team.

That is a man getting his mind on the job.

Sorting out what’s important against what is white noise. In the rugby league world chatter, that takes some doing.

Originally published as Kieran Foran is trying to get his life and career back on track — so why has the sympathy dried up?