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Manly caretaker coach Kieran Foran had one simple message for Thursday’s man of the match Haumole Olakau’atu.
“He gave me the green light to play freely, to do what I do best, which is run the ball, and get involved early,” said Olakau’atu, one of the many standouts for the Sea Eagles’ in their shock 52-18 win over the Dolphins.
“I felt like I hadn’t put my hand up [the opening three games]. Maybe it was a confidence thing with my shoulder, and the lack of contact work.
“But ‘Foz’ [Foran] told me he knew how I played, what I was good at and to do what I do best.
“That was one of the best performances of my career.
“Foz was a big reason for the win. I’m not taking anything away from ‘Seibs’ [former coach Anthony Seibold], but Foz played with half the boys here, he’s now coaching Manly. It was a special moment for him and his family, and we wanted to put in a good performance for him, the club and the community.”
Haumole Olakau’atu was a standout in Kieran Foran’s first game in charge of Manly.NRL Images
Foran could not have asked for a better start to his coaching career.
He was appointed in an interim capacity on Saturday, a day after Seibold was sacked after just three games. You can only imagine the mixed emotions Seibold was feeling while watching the same team dismantle an ill-disciplined Dolphins.
All three Trbojevic brothers, Tom, Jake and Ben, were outstanding, while Olakau’atu had 23 runs for nearly 250m in a breathtaking, State of Origin-like effort on the right edge.
He set up a couple of tries, and got the giggles when Kodi Nikorima was penalised for throwing his boot away, “Something I didn’t even know was a thing”.
Happy campers: Tom Trbojevic and Kieran Foran after Thursday’s win.NRL Images
Olakau’atu underwent shoulder surgery midway through last year, and while he did not feature in the trials, said he was more than physically ready to start the season. He also knew it was going to take time to strike up a combination with halfback Jamal Fogarty after so many years spent playing outside Daly Cherry-Evans.
As Foran said of Olakau’atu when he landed back in Sydney on Friday: “His involvements were top class. He’s such a strike weapon to us. We need to find a way to get him the footy and get him involved as much as we can. He has so much to offer.”
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“We didn’t change much with the team,” Foran said. “It was more to do with their mindset. They’d been building to a performance like that. They put in a gritty performance against the Roosters [last Thursday], they just couldn’t do it for long enough – and it all clicked on Thursday night.”
A couple of tries looked like they had come from set plays Foran had introduced, including Reuben Garrick steaming and cutting back infield to score, and Luke Brooks pouncing early on a Fogarty kick. Foran, however, said: “Those were things the boys came up with on the run”.
Jason Saab missed the big win due to suspension but is expected to come straight back in for Clayton Faulalo against the Dragons.
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