Eels recruit Kieran Foran looks set to miss round one against the Broncos
EELS fans who hope Kieran Foran is finally going to break the club’s No.7 curse will have to wait another week.
KIERAN Foran is almost certain to cruelly miss his first game as Parramatta skipper.
Foran trained with an injured hamstring on Wednesday but is likely to be ruled out of Thursday’s NRL season-opener against Brisbane at Pirtek Stadium.
The Eels will officially give Foran until an hour before kick-off to determine his fitness status but sources close to Parramatta believe their star halfback will be ruled out sometime this morning.
Foran may make a late recovery and play but no-one at Parramatta is entirely confident.
“It’s unlikely,” Eels coach Brad Arthur told The Daily Telegraph.
“He’s got tightness there, there’s no strain, no tear, but we’re not prepared to run a risk with him if he’s not 100 per cent.
“It’s round one and if we were playing Sunday he would be right but I will still give him every opportunity.
“We will check on him (Thursday). He ran (Wednesday at training), he’s okay, we’re just mindful of the problem he has had before. I’m not going to risk him.
“He is not 100 per cent out yet but it’s unlikely he will play. He knows he needs to be 100 per cent otherwise he won’t be playing.”
Losing Foran would not only be blow for Parramatta but also for the game itself. Foran is a true star and the match would suffer in his absence.
Foran would be shattered to miss his first game at new club Parramatta.
Arthur claimed that Luke Kelly — not Mitch Cornish — would be promoted should Foran withdraw.
The injury is a recurrence of the hamstring injury that troubled Foran at Manly last year.
Foran last night preferred not discussing the injury, instead opting to be optimistic about playing on Thursday.
“It’s finally time to play some footy and all the boys are really excited to go out there in front of our fans,” Foran said.
“With lots of new faces in our team, it’s a good chance for us to show where we’re at after working hard the last few months at training.”
Parramatta’s medical staff will reassess Foran this morning but it would appear to forgone conclusion.
TAB Sportsbet released another premiership market with Parramatta on the fourth line of betting at $15, alongside Melbourne Storm, Cronulla Sharks and South Sydney.
Brisbane ($5) are outright favourites from Manly, North Queensland and New Zealand Warriors (8). The Cowboys may feel aggrieved.
Sydney Roosters are next on $13. Gold Coast are the rank outsiders, paying a whopping $201, Wests Tigers at $101.
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