Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Manly officials are confident an upgraded three-year extension to lock in Kieran Foran as long-term coach will allow the club to move swiftly on a delicate balancing act with the Sea Eagles’ next generation of backline stars.
As officials remained hopeful the NRL would grant Tolu Koula an exemption from the mandatory 11-day concussion stand down, allowing the NSW debutant to take on South Sydney on Thursday, statistics highlighted how well Manly have negotiated Tom Trbojevic’s latest injury.
Foran’s superb 7-2 start in charge of the Sea Eagles has included five victories and a 71 per cent win percentage without Trbojevic since his hamstring tear against North Queensland in mid-April.
That represents a stark improvement on past efforts whenever Trbojevic has gone down – Manly having won just 35.7 per cent of games without their gun fullback before this season.
As reported by The Sun-Herald, Foran is weighing up a three-year offer from the Sea Eagles, albeit with the hope of improved financial terms before he signs.
Club officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity given the confidential nature of contract discussions, are comfortable with how talks have progressed and expect a deal to be finalised in the coming weeks.
Locking Foran in long term is a priority given the large number of key players coming off contract in 2027.
The November 1 free agency date looms large for rising stars Clayton Faulalo and Lehi Hopoate, as well as prodigious talents Joey Walsh and Onitoni and Ashton Large, who have been identified as Manly’s brightest long-term playmaking options for some time.
Faulalo (26), in particular, has emerged as one of the NRL’s form players while deputising for Trobjevic at fullback, and he and Hopoate would be expected to attract serious rival interest if they hit the open market.
Tom Trbojevic, and brothers Ben and Jake, also enter the final years of their Manly deals next season, though 2027 will almost certainly be Jake’s last in the NRL.
Tom took a $400,000 pay cut on his most recent one-year extension and has stressed previously he would prefer to play for less than have teammates forced out by salary cap pressure.
Luke Brooks’ revival under Foran presents the club with potentially its toughest decision, given the veteran playmaker also comes off contract in 2027, and shapes as a potential NRL roadblock for Walsh and Onitoni Large if his Manly tenure is extended.
Manly have started extension talks with the Large brothers, Ashton (17) and Onitoni (18), with Ashton especially viewed as Manly’s best long-term prospect at hooker.
The subject of a new deal has also been broached with Walsh after his impressive first forays in the NRL, though the 20-year-old is reluctant to finalise his future without Foran being locked in and a clear long-term first-grade pathway being outlined.
As a northern beaches junior, who knocked back interest from the Bulldogs, Dolphins and rugby union as a teenager, Walsh is more than happy with his progress under Foran, but will not be without suitors in coming years.
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh is already on the record declaring his interest in luring Walsh back to the code after he captained Australia’s under-18s side at five-eighth.
Meantime, Thursday’s clash against the Rabbitohs will be Manly’s last without Tom Trbojevic as he looks to return after next week’s bye.
The Sea Eagles on Monday applied for an NRL exemption for Koula to play eight days after being floored by Queensland fullback Kalyn Ponga in Origin I. Koula trained for the first time in a non-contact session on Monday and has not experienced any concussion symptoms since last Thursday.
His inclusion against Souths would provide Foran with an early test of how he balances Manly’s backline riches once Trbojevic returns, given Faulalo and Hopoate have been in fine form alongside backline mainstays Reuben Garrick and Jason Saab.
“The only person I feel sorry for is Foz – he’s got a selection headache now everyone’s been playing really well,” Saab said as he relished Manly’s improved fortunes without Trbojevic this season.
“I feel like that game against the Cowboys when [Trbojevic] did go [down] and we did play the way we did, I feel like that went a long way to us believing that we’ve got players that can fill in positions.
“I’m not sure if we go and lose that game, how we respond.
“No one lost any faith or was worried or thought, we’ve got a Turbo curse. We just went and did our jobs. Each week we just play the same style of footy that’s been working for us regardless of who’s there. It goes to show just how important a system or game plan really is”.
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