Kieran Foran will be mentally ready to resume his NRL career in 2017, says Warriors CEO Jim Doyle
WARRIORS CEO Jim Doyle has revealed troubled star Kieran Foran will be mentally ready for season 2017 and pleaded to the NRL to not stand in the way of his return.
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KIERAN Foran will be fit and mentally ready to resume his NRL playing career at the start of the 2017 season.
And Warriors boss Jim Doyle sees no reason why the NRL would stand in Foran’s way.
In the most significant update on the troubled star’s future since his release from Parramatta and revelations of his friendship with controversial punter Eddie Hayson, the highly respected Doyle revealed that Foran was now “certainly on the road to recovery”.
“I have seen him when he was at quite a low and I have seen him get better continuously,” Doyle said.
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“He is certainly getting better every week.
“He is returning back to what he was when I used to know him a few years ago. But it will take a bit of time.”
But Doyle is confident Foran will be allowed to start pre-season training with the Warriors by mid-November.
“I would assume so,” Doyle said. “I spoke to the NRL about that because it has happened in the past.
“Blake Ferguson trained with the Roosters before he was registered. That certainly shouldn’t be an issue. But again, because of his (shoulder) injury he won’t be doing too much in pre-season other than doing his rehab.”
Doyle said the 26-year-old former New Zealand captain was now dividing his time between rehab in New Zealand and flying back to Australia so he could spend time with his children.
Doyle also indicated that Foran was having less involvement with Hayson as he worked to get himself ready for a rugby league return.
“From our point of view he is spending a fair bit of time over here so therefore that takes that out of the equation really,” Doyle said. “When he goes back he just goes and sees the kids and things.”
It has been widely speculated that the NRL was considering blocking Foran’s return in 2017, but Doyle expected the troubled half to be given a clearance before the start of the season.
“I would not see any reason why not,” Doyle said. “I certainly expect he will be playing.
“But it is going to take a while to work through with the NRL.
“The good thing is we have a while obviously before the season starts.
“He is certainly on the road to recovery. “Between now and early March ... we have got five months. Five months is a long time.
“I think it would be good to see him back. And obviously it is good to see him back in the right frame of mind.
“Hopefully he will stay there and continue on in the right frame of mind.
“We know it is going to take time work through with the NRL and we think we will get there.”
While most people in the game would support any move by the NRL to help Foran’s rehabilitation and recovery, some Parramatta fans would obviously not like seeing him run out in Warriors colours given the circumstances behind his release this year.
But Doyle said if he was in charge of Parramatta he would not have granted the release.
“They made that decision,” Doyle said.
“I can’t speak on behalf of Parramatta why they made that decision because obviously I wasn’t there.
“But, you know, for me one of the things that I would potentially have done if it had been here at the Warriors, I might have said; ‘Well, I will tell you what, you take the rest of the year off. We won’t pay you. But you are still registered with us’.
Reminded that Foran had requested the release, Doyle added: “Yes. But Parramatta could have said we are not going to give you a release.
“I mean, you hear on a regular basis players asking for a release but clubs say well sorry you have a contract.
“And there have been times when clubs have given players time off.
“I know Parramatta gave Kieran time off when he went into rehab.
“But I don’t know the circumstances when they agreed to terminate the contract.
“I can understand Parramatta fans saying we would prefer him to come here but I think a change of environment is one of the real positive steps.
“I think it will make it easier for him to rehabilitate and get himself on the right track by having a change of environment.
“If it would have been the same environment surrounded by the same people it just might have been a little bit harder.
“It will take time but I am confident we will get there in the end and it will be good for him.
“Hopefully he will get back to himself.”
Doyle said the Warriors had no plans at this point to extend Foran’s contract beyond next year.
“We want to take it one step at a time and he wants to take it one step at a time,” Doyle said.
“Obviously one of the things over here is that he is away from the kids.
“He gets to see them every couple of weeks but he needs to work through that.
“We will see how that progresses.”
Originally published as Kieran Foran will be mentally ready to resume his NRL career in 2017, says Warriors CEO Jim Doyle
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