League: Carousel of 'deals' spinning around Foran

NZ Warriors Warriors Kieran Foran. Photo / Greg Bowker

Welcome back to the NRL circus, Kieran.

Kieran Foran has already been contacted by plenty of player agents touting deals for next season and beyond, a process that will only intensify in the coming weeks.

Indeed, Foran was dealing with all kinds of offers even before he was close to stepping on the field.

Even back in February and March the supposed "deals" were rolling in. There are around 100 registered NRL player agents and many are keen to get Foran on their books.

That was how rumours linking Foran to the Brisbane Broncos started in February, following a predictable pattern. An agent talked to the Queensland club to ascertain if they would be interested in the 26-year-old, before presenting the possibilities to the Warriors player as a selling point to gain his clientele.

Such calls were unsolicited. Foran has been fully focused on dealing with his rehabilitation, on and off the field, and has enjoyed the relative anonymity offered by life in Auckland. He has new phone numbers since being in New Zealand, but such things don't stay secret for long in the closeted world of the NRL. It's the unfortunate reality of being a high profile player..

The Warriors have started discussions with Foran on what 2018 might look like, but those negotiations are on an informal basis at the moment.

The club are believed to be open to another one-year deal - given Foran's personal circumstances, with his two young children in Australia - but would obviously prefer the security of a longer arrangement.

"I don't want to go into the future of Kieran, we are working through a process with him," said Warriors coach Stephen Kearney. "He's not through his own process yet - he's not 100 per cent fully fixed yet and that will take a while.

"Would we like to keep him here? Of course. We are working through the process but where that ends up ... I don't know."

Kearney and Foran's immediate focus is on today's clash with the Eels, who have also endured a stuttering start to the season. Parramatta won their first two matches but have since dropped three on the bounce, including emphatic losses to the Sharks and Raiders.

This encounter has special meaning for Kearney and Foran, although the Warriors coach played it down earlier this week.

Kearney was jettisoned midway through the 2012 season after a difficult spell in charge at Parramatta while Foran was released from a four-year contract in July last year, after being touted as the player to bring success back to the blue and gold corner of Western Sydney.

Parramatta emerged victorious from their last visit to Auckland - a 40-18 win in round 26 last year which was also Andrew McFadden's final match as coach - stopping a run of five consecutive defeats at Mt Smart.