Soon after he was named the Sea Eagles’ interim coach in a decision that surprised many, Kieran Foran told his struggling NRL team that the expectation was to play finals in 2026.
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Manly were 0-3, with all three losses coming at Brookvale.
Anthony Seibold had been the first coach sacked of the young season. A popular wooden spoon pick pre-season was right on track. Things were grim.
Not only had the Sea Eagles lost their coach so early in the season, he was being replaced by someone with no head coaching experience whatsoever.
In fact, Foran had just started his coaching apprenticeship as an assistant under Seibold having retired from the sport only months earlier.
So, when Manly players fronted up to Four Pines Park in the wake of Seibold’s sacking and heard the Sea Eagles premiership winner wax lyrical about returning to the finals, a playing group low on confidence found Foran’s message hard to believe … at first.
“At the time, we had lost three games but he believed in us as a footy side and he said his expectation were finals and that’s what he thinks this footy team is capable of,” skipper Tom Trbojevic told Triple M.
“He and Kingy (CEO Jason King) spoke really well and they let us know that part of the reason with what happened with Seibs was because of us and we’re the only people who can get us out of it.
“Probably at the time given everything that had just happened, confidence wasn’t high. But when we got out on the training paddock and trained really well, it didn’t take long to realise we have a footy team and finals was a realistic goal.”
The training session that followed Seibold’s axing, and Foran’s rousing speech, sparked one of the most startling form turnarounds in recent years.
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WHAT HAS CHANGED UNDER FORAN?
When Penn, Foran and King faced the media on a Saturday morning a little over a month ago at Manly HQ, it was hard to be overly excited as a Sea Eagles fan.
While the sacking of Seibold the night prior answered the wishes of many supporters, in the same breath, replacing him with a rookie assistant coach likely didn’t inspire much confidence.
Foran is widely loved by the Manly fanbase, but how could you put your faith in someone who was only a couple of months into his apprenticeship.
It was a move labelled a “PR stunt” and “lacking strategy”, however the Sea Eagles decision to promote Foran over the other Sea Eagles assistants is now looking like a masterstroke.
Under Foran, the Sea Eagles have won all four games. At least three of those have been with a leg in the air.
Through those four games, Manly have recorded a points differential of +91 – the highest figure of any team in the NRL during that span.
So, what’s different? What is ‘Fozball’?
According to Trbojevic, Foran changed the Sea Eagles’ game style.
Too reliant in the past on their outside threats, under Seibold the Sea Eagles were guilty of playing east-west rather than north-south.
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 10: Interim head coach Kieran Foran has made a stunning start.Source: Getty Images
Foran, who was a very direct player in the halves throughout the course of his career, quickly shifted the focus of Manly’s attack.
“It was a weird start to the year and Seibs getting moved on. Everyone took it personally but having Foz come in, well he’s really simplified it,” Trbojevic said.
“He wanted us to be more of a direct footy side.
“We’ve got a lot of players out wide like Reuben Garrick, Tolu Koula, Haumole Olakau’atu and Jason Saab who create a lot of opportunities for us and we probably were getting a bit too shift-happy and trying to go around teams.
“So, we’ve had a real focus over the past few weeks of trying to be a more direct footy side, whether that be down short side or through the middle to get us up the field better.”
The results are stark.
Manly are averaging 38 points a game under Foran and the renewed confidence with ball in hand is carrying over to defence.
What’s scary is that without Trbojevic, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Sea Eagles’ for/against is +45.
Fox League’s Greg Alexander, who was on the panel with Foran the night Seibold was fired, says his former co-worker has ticked an important box since assuming control.
“They just needed someone to reset them. And that’s what Kieran’s been able to do,” Alexander told foxsports.com.au.
”He’s got players that, you were questioning whether they had a place in first grade playing to their potential. That goes a long way in the game if you can get players to play to their potential.”
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Foz heaps praise on Haumole Olakau’atu | 09:14
THE CRUCIAL NEXT MONTH
While the four-win run wasn’t at all expected, those victories have been against teams currently lower than them on the ladder (Cowboys 8th, Dolphins 12th, Eels 15th, Dragons 17th).
They’ve done what good teams do and defeated the teams they should, with the Dolphins and Cowboys wins particularly impressive.
Next up on the docket though are the table-topping Panthers followed by the Broncos and Tigers – all teams placed inside the top eight who will no doubt provide stiffer challenge
It’s the testing mettle for the club.
It’ll not only determine where Manly sit relative to the top teams in the comp but also prove the Foran honeymoon has been no fluke.
“They’re playing a game they love again but I’ll just say this. The next three weeks is when the real test will come,” foxsports.com.au’s Paul Crawley said on NRL360.
“You never really know what you’ve got in a coach until they go through that tough period.”
It’s like every coach. Until the heat is on, and you get a few losses and you’re looking for answers and the fans are turning, that’s when you realise what coaching is all about,” NRL360 host Braith Anasta added.
It’s been a great run under Kieran Foran, but things are about to get a whole lot tougher with a couple of premiership heavyweights next up.Source: Supplied
IS FORAN READY FOR THE PROMOTION TO FULL-TIME HEAD COACH?
Two of the most important names inside the four walls of Manly are Trbojevic and his brother Jake.
Both Jake and Tom have lined up alongside Foran at Manly and have now played under him. In their mind, it’s obvious what the club has to do.
“He’s done a great job. He’s such a well respected person in the rugby league community. His passion has really come out as a coach and the boys are really thriving on the back of it. I hope they get a deal done,” Jake Trbojevic told reporters this week.
“When I played with him he inspired me. That hasn’t changed. He’s just a leader.
“Everyone who has played with him, he’d be in their top five teammates. It’s a bit surreal that he’s actually leading us but it’s awesome.
“It’s hard to put the finger on why we weren’t going well but having Foz come in has been a breath of fresh air.
“I certainly would (want Foran as Manly’s next coach). Being a young interim coach the only way he’s going to get it is if we play good footy,” Tom Trbojevic said.
“If we keep playing like this and show everyone he’s the best man for the job then I’d love to have him. He’s such a great person, great thinker and I love being around him.
“I actually debuted with him and the way he speaks, his character and the respect he has among this group, he’s really delved into that and got the best out of everyone.
“He was thrown straight into the deep end as he only finished playing last year but he’s always prepared and as a motivator, he’s one of the best I’ve had.”