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The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'Epitome of courage' - How Foran fought on for 17 years
Kieran Foran has detailed how he defied a broken body and the logic of retirement for years before finally deciding this will be his last season in the NRL. One of rugby league's great survivors, Foran confirmed on Friday he will retire at the end of the season - his 17th - set to finish with close to 315 games to his name. The Gold Coast playmaker will move into a mentoring role with the Titans, while also likely juggling media commitments as part of life after football. Foran's career is one of two halves, after scoring with one of his first touches on debut in 2009 for Manly and winning a premiership two years later. He was one of the best young talents in the game, a tough and hard-running five-eighth who regularly took on the line and defended with little regard for his body. But when he left Manly on a mega four-year deal with Parramatta in 2016, Foran's career and world changed. He battled highly-publicised personal demons, has since opened up about self harm and battled injury after injury that threatened to force him into a medical retirement. Between 2016 and 2020, Foran managed only 66 games across fives season at the Eels, Warriors and Canterbury. Foran, who will turn 35 on Sunday, has previously spoken of privately questioning if he could play on, before a career lifeline arrived from Des Hasler back at Manly in 2021. Five seasons later, he will now finish his career on his own terms. "Over the course of time, there were certain moments of doubt and times where I wasn't sure whether I could keep going or should keep going," Foran said on Friday. "But that inner belief always overrode those doubts. "There's always been an internal belief that I wasn't quite finished and quite done, despite a number of setbacks and surgeries. "I never felt that I'd reached my potential, even all those years ago when I did look like a broken body and a broken soul, I still believed that there was a lot more left." Given the setbacks, it defies logic that Foran will finish his career as the NRL's longest-serving current player. He is also one of 55 members of the 300-game club, and played 31 Tests for New Zealand with wins in the 2014 Four Nations and 2023 Pacific Championship. "I borrowed a phrase from the Maori language ... Te Maia," Hasler said as he sat alongside Foran on Friday. "When translated it means to stand with courage. And doesn't that truly epitomise the man? "To stand with courage both in football and dealing with events in his life off-field. "To stand with courage also means you face consequences. I really think that epitomises him." Foran's relationship with Hasler cannot be understated. The veteran coach gave him his debut him at Manly, signed him to the Bulldogs and offered him the 2021 lifeline at the Sea Eagles. The pair were then reunited on the Gold Coast when Hasler arrived there last year. There is also the potential they could go out together, with questions swirling around Hasler's future. "I came out of high school at 18 and ... I just I held on to every word Dessy said and I still do," Foran said. "I've never seen someone have a desire like Des. Des has a work ethic and and all these incredible traits that I wanted to have myself. "I just felt he really moulded and shaped my game in those early years. I just felt like I owed it to him because of how much he wanted it." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Kieran Foran has detailed how he defied a broken body and the logic of retirement for years before finally deciding this will be his last season in the NRL. One of rugby league's great survivors, Foran confirmed on Friday he will retire at the end of the season - his 17th - set to finish with close to 315 games to his name. The Gold Coast playmaker will move into a mentoring role with the Titans, while also likely juggling media commitments as part of life after football. Foran's career is one of two halves, after scoring with one of his first touches on debut in 2009 for Manly and winning a premiership two years later. He was one of the best young talents in the game, a tough and hard-running five-eighth who regularly took on the line and defended with little regard for his body. But when he left Manly on a mega four-year deal with Parramatta in 2016, Foran's career and world changed. He battled highly-publicised personal demons, has since opened up about self harm and battled injury after injury that threatened to force him into a medical retirement. Between 2016 and 2020, Foran managed only 66 games across fives season at the Eels, Warriors and Canterbury. Foran, who will turn 35 on Sunday, has previously spoken of privately questioning if he could play on, before a career lifeline arrived from Des Hasler back at Manly in 2021. Five seasons later, he will now finish his career on his own terms. "Over the course of time, there were certain moments of doubt and times where I wasn't sure whether I could keep going or should keep going," Foran said on Friday. "But that inner belief always overrode those doubts. "There's always been an internal belief that I wasn't quite finished and quite done, despite a number of setbacks and surgeries. "I never felt that I'd reached my potential, even all those years ago when I did look like a broken body and a broken soul, I still believed that there was a lot more left." Given the setbacks, it defies logic that Foran will finish his career as the NRL's longest-serving current player. He is also one of 55 members of the 300-game club, and played 31 Tests for New Zealand with wins in the 2014 Four Nations and 2023 Pacific Championship. "I borrowed a phrase from the Maori language ... Te Maia," Hasler said as he sat alongside Foran on Friday. "When translated it means to stand with courage. And doesn't that truly epitomise the man? "To stand with courage both in football and dealing with events in his life off-field. "To stand with courage also means you face consequences. I really think that epitomises him." Foran's relationship with Hasler cannot be understated. The veteran coach gave him his debut him at Manly, signed him to the Bulldogs and offered him the 2021 lifeline at the Sea Eagles. The pair were then reunited on the Gold Coast when Hasler arrived there last year. There is also the potential they could go out together, with questions swirling around Hasler's future. "I came out of high school at 18 and ... I just I held on to every word Dessy said and I still do," Foran said. "I've never seen someone have a desire like Des. Des has a work ethic and and all these incredible traits that I wanted to have myself. "I just felt he really moulded and shaped my game in those early years. I just felt like I owed it to him because of how much he wanted it." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 Kieran Foran has detailed how he defied a broken body and the logic of retirement for years before finally deciding this will be his last season in the NRL. One of rugby league's great survivors, Foran confirmed on Friday he will retire at the end of the season - his 17th - set to finish with close to 315 games to his name. The Gold Coast playmaker will move into a mentoring role with the Titans, while also likely juggling media commitments as part of life after football. Foran's career is one of two halves, after scoring with one of his first touches on debut in 2009 for Manly and winning a premiership two years later. He was one of the best young talents in the game, a tough and hard-running five-eighth who regularly took on the line and defended with little regard for his body. But when he left Manly on a mega four-year deal with Parramatta in 2016, Foran's career and world changed. He battled highly-publicised personal demons, has since opened up about self harm and battled injury after injury that threatened to force him into a medical retirement. Between 2016 and 2020, Foran managed only 66 games across fives season at the Eels, Warriors and Canterbury. Foran, who will turn 35 on Sunday, has previously spoken of privately questioning if he could play on, before a career lifeline arrived from Des Hasler back at Manly in 2021. Five seasons later, he will now finish his career on his own terms. "Over the course of time, there were certain moments of doubt and times where I wasn't sure whether I could keep going or should keep going," Foran said on Friday. "But that inner belief always overrode those doubts. "There's always been an internal belief that I wasn't quite finished and quite done, despite a number of setbacks and surgeries. "I never felt that I'd reached my potential, even all those years ago when I did look like a broken body and a broken soul, I still believed that there was a lot more left." Given the setbacks, it defies logic that Foran will finish his career as the NRL's longest-serving current player. He is also one of 55 members of the 300-game club, and played 31 Tests for New Zealand with wins in the 2014 Four Nations and 2023 Pacific Championship. "I borrowed a phrase from the Maori language ... Te Maia," Hasler said as he sat alongside Foran on Friday. "When translated it means to stand with courage. And doesn't that truly epitomise the man? "To stand with courage both in football and dealing with events in his life off-field. "To stand with courage also means you face consequences. I really think that epitomises him." Foran's relationship with Hasler cannot be understated. The veteran coach gave him his debut him at Manly, signed him to the Bulldogs and offered him the 2021 lifeline at the Sea Eagles. The pair were then reunited on the Gold Coast when Hasler arrived there last year. There is also the potential they could go out together, with questions swirling around Hasler's future. "I came out of high school at 18 and ... I just I held on to every word Dessy said and I still do," Foran said. "I've never seen someone have a desire like Des. Des has a work ethic and and all these incredible traits that I wanted to have myself. "I just felt he really moulded and shaped my game in those early years. I just felt like I owed it to him because of how much he wanted it." Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Sydney Morning Herald
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Can Katoa succeed Cleary? His form behind a depleted pack may answer
Dolphins veteran Mark Nicholls believes Isaiya Katoa is ready to answer a State of Origin SOS, and would rise to the occasion of filling Nathan Cleary's void. Cleary has been under an injury cloud ahead of the series decider on July 9, hampered by a groin concern which limited his output for New South Wales in game two. He has been named to return for the Panthers this week in a Blues boost given Mitch Moses remains sidelined with a calf injury. Should the four-time premiership winner fail to get through his comeback, Katoa has emerged as a shock successor, with Luke Metcalf, Matt Burton, Nicho Hynes and Adam Reynolds other options. Katoa has spearheaded Tonga since the 2022 World Cup, taking the island nation to the Pacific Championship final last year, while he assumed his club's captaincy against Newcastle in the absence of Tom Gilbert and Felise Kaufusi, and will do so again on Saturday against the Rabbitohs. Loading While NRL Immortal Andrew Johns raised fears throwing the 21-year-old into the furnace could be detrimental to his development, Nicholls believed he had the fortitude to respond to the occasion. 'He could do the job for sure. I'd love to see him [do it] and it would be great for us if he could get that experience and come back to the club a better player,' Nicholls said. 'With the position he has played he has been our unnatural leader for three years now, that's his job as the halfback to direct the team around. This year we have seen him play that 50th game milestone, [and] a lot of players say they don't feel like a first grader until they play 50.
The Age
24-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Can Katoa succeed Cleary? His form behind a depleted pack may answer
Dolphins veteran Mark Nicholls believes Isaiya Katoa is ready to answer a State of Origin SOS, and would rise to the occasion of filling Nathan Cleary's void. Cleary has been under an injury cloud ahead of the series decider on July 9, hampered by a groin concern which limited his output for New South Wales in game two. He has been named to return for the Panthers this week in a Blues boost given Mitch Moses remains sidelined with a calf injury. Should the four-time premiership winner fail to get through his comeback, Katoa has emerged as a shock successor, with Luke Metcalf, Matt Burton, Nicho Hynes and Adam Reynolds other options. Katoa has spearheaded Tonga since the 2022 World Cup, taking the island nation to the Pacific Championship final last year, while he assumed his club's captaincy against Newcastle in the absence of Tom Gilbert and Felise Kaufusi, and will do so again on Saturday against the Rabbitohs. Loading While NRL Immortal Andrew Johns raised fears throwing the 21-year-old into the furnace could be detrimental to his development, Nicholls believed he had the fortitude to respond to the occasion. 'He could do the job for sure. I'd love to see him [do it] and it would be great for us if he could get that experience and come back to the club a better player,' Nicholls said. 'With the position he has played he has been our unnatural leader for three years now, that's his job as the halfback to direct the team around. This year we have seen him play that 50th game milestone, [and] a lot of players say they don't feel like a first grader until they play 50.
RNZ News
02-05-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Kiwis prop Joseph Tapine's journey to 200 games for Canberra Raiders
By Nick Campton , ABC Joe Tapine is about to play his 200th game for the Canberra Raiders. Photo: Photosport When Joseph Tapine arrived at Canberra from Newcastle in 2016 as a tall and skinny second rower with plenty of ability and even more to prove, there were two things he needed to learn to carry. One was the prodigious expectations that came with his clear physical gifts. The then-21-year-old Kiwi was rangy, skilful and aggressive. He brought some hype with him from the Knights and it can take time to get a saddle on all that talent. The second is a lot more literal - for much of his first seven seasons in the NRL, the last five of which came with the Raiders, Tapine didn't really lift weights. Pumping iron is seemingly a prerequisite to perform at any level of rugby league, let alone first grade, but for years Tapine barely touched a dumbbell or a bar if he could help it. "When he first arrived we quickly understood the potential he had. We understood what everyone was talking about, his athleticism, his physicality, that was really impressive," said former teammate Sia Soliola. "It was a great natural talent, a natural ability to play the game, how easily he was able to do things. "It wasn't that he didn't train hard, he always trained hard, there were just some elements of his training he wasn't on as much, and we knew once he did he would accelerate really quickly. "Lifting weights became a big part of that. He was naturally strong, and it's a measure of how good he was that he could still perform. "But when he put the time into the gym, slowly but surely, we started to see how special he could be." Throwing tin around, which he started doing in earnest midway through 2020, brought about a change in Tapine, setting him on the path which has led him to playing his 200th game for the Raiders on Sunday against Melbourne. It was worth the weight and the wait - now there's no load Tapine can't bear, no challenge he won't rise to, and no foe he bows to. Watch the 30-year-old stride forward, seemingly always keeping his feet as defenders cling on like children clambering over their father's back, watch him use his footwork to skate across defensive lines like a dancer, watch him pull off a piece of inexplicable skill like the wonder try he scored for New Zealand last year against Tonga, and you'll seeing one of the best forwards in all of rugby league. Tapine is always quick to point to Soliola as a huge influence on his career after the two played together from 2016 to 2021, but Soliola is just as fast to point out the efforts of others in Tapine's rise. "He'll be the first to tell you about how many positive influences he's had in his life, especially his wife Kirsten," said Soliola. "She's helped shape the man he is, he pays so much testament to her. When you have someone that supports you like that I guess you're not scared of anything." Joseph Tapine, on the charge for the Kiwis against Tonga in a Pacific Championship rugby league test at Mount Smart Stadium, 2 Nov, 2024. Photo: Photosport But Soliola was up close for Tapine's transformation from a fiery yet inconsistent backrower to an elite prop forward and, eventually, a leader of men with the process culminating after Tapine assumed the Raiders captaincy this year. "He's so well-rounded, he's the complete player for that position, and as a professional, he sets high standards for players to follow, which shows how far he's come," said Soliola. "There was a lot of talk about him when he arrived and when you're around the game a long time you see a lot of players come and go who are called 'the next Mal Meninga' or 'the next Sonny Bill Williams', and Taps was put in that category but you never think it'll happen until it takes its course. "He started to grow as a leader too, very rapidly. His game and his application, his desire to grow more, he came into his own. "I started to see Taps didn't just want to grow as a player, but as a leader. It gave him a lot of confidence, wanting to do that. The man Taps has become inspires me. "To see it happen, and happen to someone who really deserves it, it's nothing but love for the dude because of the hard work he's put in on and off the field, when he wins it feels like we who witnessed it are winning as well." In the years since he put it all together, Tapine has been at the heart of all the best things Canberra has done. In 2020 it was his incredible solo try that helped spur the team to a semifinal win over the Roosters - as he left some of the best defenders the two-time defending premiers had to offer grasping at shadows on a 20-metre cannonball run to the line. Two years later, with the Raiders facing the Storm in Melbourne in the first week of the finals, Canberra was holding out for a hero and it had one in Tapine. He produced the game of his life: running for 200 metres and accruing three line break assists, and a try assist, in one of the great front row performances of the modern era. Playing the Storm on home soil is usually a death sentence but Tapine turned it into a dream as the Raiders scored a famous upset win. That year was the first time Tapine claimed Dally M prop of the year honours, which he repeated last season. Individual honours can be rare for the Raiders, who can still be out of sight and out of mind for many, but the football which has become the norm for Tapine cannot be ignored. This year neither can the rest of his side, which has defied the wooden spoon expectations to sit in the top four with the equal most wins in the league heading into Sunday's showdown with Melbourne. It has been an impressive start to Tapine's first season as captain, and with attitude reflecting leadership, it's not a surprise to see the young side take on some of his own characteristics - namely, a ruthlessness, a willingness to fight to the very end and not just an ability to do whatever it takes to win, but an eagerness to do so. The way they play is not perfect and, like Tapine, sometimes Canberra can try to be too mean for their own good. But mostly the side are playing an icy, physical, hard brand of footy, stinging like a howling gale even when the points run hot. They're a reminder that winter is coming and that in some part of Canberra it is always winter. "What's stood out is how well and how quickly everything's come together. I don't think many people would have had the Raiders in this position," said Soliola. "Talking to a lot of the guys in the pre-season, they were happy with that - the Raiders aren't given a chance a lot of the time, and that can light a fire in the belly. Joseph Tapine celebrates his try for the Kiwis against Tonga in the 2024 Pacific Championships rugby league test match at Mount Smart Stadium, 2 November 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT "It's exciting to see it come together, especially for a side that's so young." For all he's done, Tapine still has more he can achieve, as leader and as a player. Soliola is excited about the possibilities he brings to the Pasifika community, who are seeing more and more of their own in leadership roles at various NRL clubs. "Naturally, and Taps would probably be the same thing, a lot of Pasifika people don't get to step into those leadership and captaincy roles because it's not in our innate nature," said Soliola. "So it's great to see Taps, Junior Paulo and James Fisher-Harris be those captains, it shows how much the Pasifika space has grown in the NRL. "They're going to bring about a change. A lot of Pasifika kids work well when they see things modelled. They see things done, then they can follow suit." In terms of pure football, the best days for Tapine's Raiders might be still to come. With six wins and two losses, Canberra are the league's curiosity, but a win against Melbourne on Sunday will earn them attention as a real premiership threat. The Green Machine don't so much fly under the radar as they live off the grid, but that won't be possible if they come through for the skipper's 200th. Given Tapine is one of just three players still at the club who appeared in the 2019 grand final, his young charges will look to him when it matters most, just as he looked to Soliola all those years ago. That's a lot to deal with but it's been a long time since such a weight was heavy for Tapine. Now, he has a whole club on his shoulders and as hard as that can be to carry, it seems to suit him just fine. - ABC
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jillaroos' 90-4 win in Vegas raises questions for NRL
The NRL will be forced to reconsider the best way to promote the women's game in the US, after the Jillaroos trounced England 90-4 in Las Vegas. In Australia's third-biggest win of all time, Tamika Upton scored five tries and set another up two in a complete domination at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday (AEDT). Winger Julia Robinson and bench centre Jess Sergis also crossed for hat-tricks for Australia, while Taryn Aiken was superb at halfback with six assists. So dominant were the Jillaroos that they ran in 17 tries in the 70-minute fixture to claim their largest victory margin over a tier-one nation. Make that FIVE tries for Tamika Upton! 🤯#NRLVegas — Jillaroos (@AusJillaroos) March 2, 2025 The win was briefly marred by a horror head-on collision from the first tackle after the break, leaving England prop Vicky Whitfield prone on the ground. After taking the hit up from the kick off, Whitfield clashed heads with Jillaroos front-rower Sarah Togatuki and both reeled from the collision. Togatuki was taken for the field with a concussion, while Whitfield was eventually taken off on a stretcher on the back of a medicab. The 30-year-old was taken to hospital for precautionary scans. Still, the main question for the NRL is whether the Jillaroos' walloping of England is the best advertisement for the women's game in the US market. With no fully-professional women's rugby or NFL competition in America, the NRLW is viewed as a space where rugby league can make an impact. But Australia's win was overwhelmingly one-sided. England conceded tries in four straight sets at different stages in both halves, and scored their only points on the full-time siren through Georgia Roache. By contrast, Pacific Championship matches between Australia and New Zealand have been far more competitive in recent years, leaving the Kiwi Ferns as a potentially better opponent for the Jillaroos next year. Women's State of Origin is also viewed as a potential way to sell the game in the US, with last year's three-game series a compelling contest. Regardless, Australia were ruthless against the Lionesses. Upton was in everything, putting Jakiya Whitfeld into a gap in the lead up to the Jillaroos' first try before scoring three more herself in the opening half. Isabelle Kelly was dominant at left centre, scoring twice and laying on a nice try for Upton when she swept out wide and passed back inside for her fullback. Prop Shannon Mato ran close to 200 metres, while Olivia Kernick laid on two tries in the second row in her first Jillaroos game since her controversial axing last year.
