Foran questions Manly’s ‘hard edge’ after 14-point capitulation in Perth
Manly coach Kieran Foran admitted he felt sorry for his club’s fans after a 14-point lead was squandered against Melbourne with finals now unlikely.
The Sea Eagles’ decline has been a fascinating watch with the 42-20 loss to Melbourne in Perth only adding to that after the initial resurgence under Foran.
Jake Trbojevic and Kieran Foran. NRL
Speaking post-match, Foran wasn’t willing to divulge too much about his dressing room message.
“I had a bit to say ... we’ll keep most of it in house. Very disappointed in that performance and the showing, I’m not happy,” he said.
“I can’t explain it. I don’t feel there’s a real hard edge about our approach to our footy, 14-0 up you should be in control and put the foot on the throat and maintain a level of control, and it looks like we completely lost it after that point.
“I feel very, very sorry for our fans, and we had a lot to play for today, there was a lot on the line, there was good reason to turn up and put on a good performance. After the half-hour mark it wasn’t good enough.”
The Sea Eagles had started with tries to Brandon Wakeham and Tolu Koula while Jamal Fogarty’s penalty in the 26th minute made it 14-0. This all came during a period when Storm winger Siulagi Tuimalatu-Brown was sin-binned for a late hit.
Melbourne then hit back before half-time with tries for Tyran Wishart and Hayden Watson to make it a two-point margin at the break.
After half-time, the Storm ran in four tries to put the result beyond doubt before Blake Wilson had a consolation four-pointer just before full-time.
Manly captain Jake Trbojevic agreed there’s “no hard edge” to his side while Foran admitted he’s noticed a “couple of new things” that are starting to impact performances.
The Sea Eagles have now lost five in a row after previously sitting comfortably in the top eight.
Foran’s message to fans was to “stick with it”.
“It’s frustrating, I’m very frustrated, and we need to work out what footy side we want to become,” he said.
The performance for Melbourne came off the back of Craig Bellamy announcing he’ll continue coaching in 2027 despite his health battles.
Storm captain Cameron Munster was full of praise for his coach, stating “he is the club”.
The announcement was a welcome boost for Melbourne with the club preparing not to play finals for the first time since 2010.
“He’s been here since ’03, he’s going on, and I think that gives the players a lot of confidence,” Munster said post-match.
“I know he’s going through a tough time, and we’re all going through a tough time, it’s foreign territory for us not making it to finals, but there’s definitely one thing he hasn’t shied away from and that’s his care.
“He’s the first one in the gym early in the morning, even though he’s getting older in the tooth, he still flogs himself, and it’s never going to change.
“When you see someone like that ... the hard work and determination, it just makes you want to play for him. I’ll continue to play for him as long as he keeps me here ... there’s some father-son love, but I’ve got so much respect for him and admiration, and I’m sure so many in the game do too.”
Bellamy’s future has long been a year-by-year prospect and his health added a level of complexity to the question around how long he’d keep coaching. When he confirmed during the week he’d stay as coach, he did concede it would likely be his final year.
Munster said there was limited fanfare around the decision, and took a jab at Bellamy.
“He doesn’t like making it about himself even though he loves pushing it in the media about whether he’s going on every year,” he smiled.
Craig Bellamy and Cameron Munster. NRL
“He’s probably got a thing around January-February pushing through the media whether he’s going to go on or not, probably like my own manager Braith (Anasta).
“We probably only found out after he did his press conference on captain’s run.”
