NSW coach Brad Fittler has urged Manly to re-think plans to play Kieran Foran at hooker, after the club announced the premiership hero would return to Sydney's northern beaches.
Foran's return to Brookvale was made official on Monday, however, the club's reunion with the Kiwi has been met with opposition from rising star John Schuster, whose management threatened to ask for a release from the club if there were plans to reprise Foran's premiership-winning halves combination with Daly Cherry-Evans.
It has been reported that coach Des Hasler is considering playing Foran out of position despite concerns the rigors of playing dummy half will severely test his injury-prone body.
The Sea Eagles have cut former New Zealand Test hooker Danny Levi after just one season with the club and their preferred No.9 Manase Fainu has been stood down by the NRL pending court proceedings after he was charged over an alleged stabbing of a man at a Mormon church last October.
It leaves them with no obvious solution in the No.9 jersey for next season, which is why the Foran experiment has been floated.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth, Fittler declared Foran's "body wouldn't do it" if the Sea Eagles used him at hooker.
He said there are other ways to appease Schuster and not harm his career progression in the NRL.
"John Schuster can play back-row and Dylan Walker can play centre. Dylan Walker was a great right centre when they (Souths) won the comp," Fittler said.
Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns agreed that Foran should be used in his preferred five-eighth role and said Manly would be better served at dummy half by a promising youngster already on the roster.
"I think they're playing silly buggers. The obvious choice there is Cade Cust to play dummy-half. Week in week out (Foran's) body wouldn't allow it," Johns said.
If Foran was used in the No.9 jersey, he would provide extra depth at half and hooker along with Cust, Lachlan Croker and Walker.
There is some merit in the idea that Foran could provide punch from hooker because he's not afraid to run the ball to the line and his straight running style could offer plenty of spark off a quick play-the-ball. However, he is at his best when he's running onto the ball a couple of passes wide of the ruck.
Clearly, the biggest challenge of a positional shift would be the defensive load he'd have to bear in the middle of the field, especially after being sidelined by several shoulder injuries.
The 30-year-old has made just 40 NRL appearances during his three-year stint at Belmore and Fittler says in order for the Sea Eagles to gain value from the signing, the playmaker has to play the majority of the season.
"You've got to expect 20 (games out of 26 rounds) out of everyone you've got to be positive thinking," Fittler said.
"At times he's looked fantastic when he's fresh. Hopefully we can see the old Kieran and we get a whole lot of footy out of him."
NSW coach Brad Fittler has urged Manly to re-think plans to play Kieran Foran at hooker, after the club announced the premiership hero would return to Sydney's northern beaches.
Foran's return to Brookvale was made official on Monday, however, the club's reunion with the Kiwi has been met with opposition from rising star John Schuster, whose management threatened to ask for a release from the club if there were plans to reprise Foran's premiership-winning halves combination with Daly Cherry-Evans.
It has been reported that coach Des Hasler is considering playing Foran out of position despite concerns the rigors of playing dummy half will severely test his injury-prone body.
The Sea Eagles have cut former New Zealand Test hooker Danny Levi after just one season with the club and their preferred No.9 Manase Fainu has been stood down by the NRL pending court proceedings after he was charged over an alleged stabbing of a man at a Mormon church last October.
It leaves them with no obvious solution in the No.9 jersey for next season, which is why the Foran experiment has been floated.
Speaking on Wide World of Sports' Freddy and The Eighth, Fittler declared Foran's "body wouldn't do it" if the Sea Eagles used him at hooker.
He said there are other ways to appease Schuster and not harm his career progression in the NRL.
"John Schuster can play back-row and Dylan Walker can play centre. Dylan Walker was a great right centre when they (Souths) won the comp," Fittler said.
Eighth Immortal Andrew Johns agreed that Foran should be used in his preferred five-eighth role and said Manly would be better served at dummy half by a promising youngster already on the roster.
"I think they're playing silly buggers. The obvious choice there is Cade Cust to play dummy-half. Week in week out (Foran's) body wouldn't allow it," Johns said.
If Foran was used in the No.9 jersey, he would provide extra depth at half and hooker along with Cust, Lachlan Croker and Walker.
There is some merit in the idea that Foran could provide punch from hooker because he's not afraid to run the ball to the line and his straight running style could offer plenty of spark off a quick play-the-ball. However, he is at his best when he's running onto the ball a couple of passes wide of the ruck.
Clearly, the biggest challenge of a positional shift would be the defensive load he'd have to bear in the middle of the field, especially after being sidelined by several shoulder injuries.
The 30-year-old has made just 40 NRL appearances during his three-year stint at Belmore and Fittler says in order for the Sea Eagles to gain value from the signing, the playmaker has to play the majority of the season.
"You've got to expect 20 (games out of 26 rounds) out of everyone you've got to be positive thinking," Fittler said.
"At times he's looked fantastic when he's fresh. Hopefully we can see the old Kieran and we get a whole lot of footy out of him."
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