League: Oz foray couldn't take the Kiwi out of Foran

Kieran Foran (right) and Nathan Fein train for the Four Nations tour. Photo / Dean Purcell

People who emigrate to new countries tend to go one of two ways; some fully assimilate and embrace their new land, others never really turn their eyes away from the mother country.

Kieran Foran, the Manly and now Kiwis five-eighth, is firmly in the latter group.

Foran's family moved to Australia when he was 9. Australia became the place where he lived, but it never became home. In many ways he did assimilate. He went to school, played footie for his local club Asquith Magpies and even represented Australia at schoolboy level.

But in other ways he never fully took the plunge - quite literally. In a Q&A on the NRL website he recounts how he doesn't swim at Sydney's famed beaches because he is scared of sharks.

An obvious question for a bit of an ice-breaker, then.

"Yes, I'm frightened of them," he says with no hint of smile.

Er, we'll move on then - something the 19-year-old's career is certainly doing.

A regular in Manly's NYC team since 2008, he made an immediate impression on his first taste of first grade against Canberra in round 15, scoring with his second touch after coming off the bench.

He went on to make nine more appearances at the senior level, scoring six tries, including one in Manly's 40-12 playoff defeat by eventual premiers Melbourne.

Those exploits were enough for Foran to get the nod ahead of in-form Bulldog Ben Roberts for the Kiwis' Four Nations tour, but he had already been in the selectors' sights for some time.

Former Kiwis standoff Tony Kemp, now a selector and the NZRL's high performance manager, first sighted Foran playing for Australia Schoolboys against New Zealand U18s in 2007.

"He was player of the day for the Aussies that day," Kemp said. "I spoke to him and his mother after that game about his passion to play for New Zealand."

It was an easy conversation.

"It was not really a decision at all," Foran said.

"This was always home. I was born here and bred here. I was never really thinking about green and gold."

He played for Australia at schoolboy level "purely because I was in school in Australia".

That would have been music to Kemp's ears.

"The first thing is that you've got to want to wear the black jersey," Kemp said. "That is the culture we want to continue to develop. If you are umming and ahhing about which country to play for then you are probably not the right person to pick in a New Zealand side."

An intensive six weeks of instruction from Andrew Johns was instrumental in Foran taking his game to a new level. Johns' schooling focused on how to read and run a game, what plays to put on when. It was a lot to absorb, but Foran believes he is now seeing the benefits of soaking up the master's wisdom.

"It was mind blowing. You'd go home with your pad and pen and spend half the night writing it down. He just loads the information into you, you can't really take it all in, you've got to go home and think about it. But you learn so much off a guy like that, you kind of stand there in awe."

With captain Benji Marshall occupying his first choice standoff position and other world cup final veterans Nathan Fien, Thomas Leuluai, Isaac Luke and Lance Hohaia all in contention for playmaking roles, Foran looks likely to be restricted to understudy duties.

Kemp, though, rates Foran's versatility, saying he has the ability to play centre, lock or even fullback.

"The other thing is that he is a very good size for a footballer. He is built in a really, really good body shape for a footballer. And his skill level is exceptional. It is exciting how good he is going to get.

"[Kieran] is going to be in the halves in the New Zealand side for a long time to come so this tour is an opportunity to put him in that environment and have a look at him."

Foran isn't the only young Aussie-reared prospect in the touring party. Big things are also expected of Manly teammate Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and prolific Bulldogs winger Bryson Goodwin.

Kemp believes the trio are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the Kiwi talent that is being nurtured across the ditch.

"If you look through the Australian [junior] system there are a lot of very, very good Kiwis. The world cup win put us in the front of a lot of Kiwis' minds. It made the decision of the likes of Kieran a lot easier.

"In 2013 we are going to have a very, very good New Zealand team."

KIERAN FORAN
Age: 19.
Height: 180cm.
Weight: 87kg.
Position: Standoff.
Club: Manly Sea Eagles.
NRL games: 10.