Sidelined Sea Eagles skipper Tom Trbojevic says he’d “love” interim coach Kieran Foran to be handed the full-time job. And he’s convinced Manly powerbrokers are close to making the appointment official after hailing the influence that the club legend has had on the playing group.
The Sea Eagles are soaring under Foran, with six wins from seven games since he was thrust into the hot seat after the axing of Anthony Seibold. Their only loss under Foran’s reign was a tense two-point defeat to ladder-leaders Penrith in Round 9. And the Sea Eagles’ resurgent form has rocketed them into the NRL‘s top four, ahead of a home clash against the struggling Titans on Saturday night.
Sea Eagles skipper Tom Trbojevic (L) says he’d love interim coach Kieran Foran (centre) to be handed the full-time job and expects Manly bosses to make the appointment official soon. Pic: Getty
(Getty)
Manly’s defence has been the best in the competition since Foran took over, with the team conceding less than 14 points per game in his seven-match run. Those are the best defensive numbers since Manly’s premiership-winning season in 2008 and Trbojevic reckons it’s only a matter of time before Foran is handed the full-time gig.
The Sea Eagles skipper – who’s currently out with his latest hamstring injury – says Foran has instilled a real confidence within the squad. The players love playing for him and Foran’s calming influence and ability to simplify their game plan has brought instant success. And Trbojevic is adamant he’s the best man to lead the club forward.
Skipper backs Kieran Foran to land Manly coaching job
“I’d love him to be the head coach,” the Manly skipper told SEN radio. “Kieran has always had a great temperament when he’s talked. He just instills belief in the playing group (and) we all have so much respect for him. We all just want to perform for him.
“It was a big job for Kieran to step into, and the boys have just responded to it. He believes in everyone and if you can’t get up for Kieran Foran, just hand the jersey back. I speak on behalf of everyone at the club that we’d love to have him there.
“He drives high standards and he’ll let you know if you aren’t doing well enough. You can often make it more technical and harder than it needs to be but Kieran makes it very simple when he breaks it down.”
Manly interim coach Kieran Foran has been widely backed to land the full-time job after a superb start to his reign. Pic: Getty
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Trbojevic is confident Manly bosses will make Foran’s head coaching appointment official in the coming weeks. “I don’t know what process it has to go to but I’m sure Kingy (CEO Jason King) is having conversations with the right people and it will get done,” he added.
Trbojevic also revealed that his initial hopes of returning in Round 13 had been pushed back at least a week as he recovers from the eighth hamstring injury of his career. “Recovery from hamstrings can be a bit slower than you’d like them to be,” he added. “It won’t be Round 13. We’ll try for one or two matches after that but we’ll see how I’m tracking.
“There are a few different things I’ve got to work on (but) I’ve just got to build some confidence back. It’s a process and it’s one that I’m familiar with. Hopefully I can be back soon to help the boys out.”