Parramatta great Nathan Hindmarsh has backed Kieran Foran to succeed as Manly‘s interim head coach but pinpointed a “tricky” element of the job he believes he’s facing: dishing out criticism to footballers he played with and against.
Manly on Saturday unveiled Foran — a legend of the club who played just shy of 200 games with the Sea Eagles and won a premiership with them in 2011 — as their interim head coach following the sacking of Anthony Seibold.
The Kiwi is tasked with resurrecting Manly’s winless start to the season while there’s still time for the Sea Eagles to make something of their campaign.
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Foran scored the gig despite having only retired from the NRL at the end of last season, following three seasons at the Titans.
At 35, he is among the youngest clipboard holders in the game’s history.
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Kieran Foran has been appointed interim head coach of Manly. Getty
“He’s in a tricky situation because he’s actually coaching players he played against and played with. It’s a funny thing, that. It’s hard to take … criticism from someone you’ve played with or against,” Hindmarsh said on Triple M radio.
“You always see a head coach as being someone older, a bit more mature, he’s got the runs on the board.
“So that’s going to be the tricky thing for ‘Foz’.”
Foran is now coaching several players he called teammates during his second stint with Manly across the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Among them are Tom, Jake and Ben Trbojevic, Taniela Paseka, Haumole Olakau’atu and Reuben Garrick.
He also played against ex-Wests Tigers halfback Luke Brooks and former Titans and Raiders general Jamal Fogarty, among others, and at 35 is similar in age to several of the Manly players.
Foran returned to Brookvale as an assistant coach over the off-season.
He was bumped into the hot seat when Sea Eagles bosses ran out of faith in Seibold following Thursday’s defeat to the Roosters at Brookvale Oval.
The respect Foran commands is enormous.
“The way he conducted himself on the footy field, and now as an assistant and now as an interim coach, I think he’s got everything it takes to be a good head coach,” Hindmarsh said.
“I’ve seen him talk to players, I’ve seen how professional he is at getting back from recovery, getting back from injuries … what he’s gone through and to have that willpower and determination and dedication. I think that is what coaches need these days.”
Chatting with Hindmarsh on Triple M, Sharks premiership winner Wade Graham had similarly high praise for Foran.
“He’s easy to like and respect because he’s so authentic. The way he speaks, you can feel that that’s who he is, and we’ve witnessed it over the years on the footy field,” Graham said.
“He’ll be able to cut through to the players because he’s been in their shoes, and not years ago; just months ago.”