Hayson denies Foran contact Breakers cut import Stockton for season
Controversial Australian gambler Eddie Hayson has denied suggestions he is still in contact with Kieran Foran and urged the NRL to approve the troubled league star’s return to the game.
Foran has signed a one-year deal with the Warriors that has yet to be registered by the governing body as they seek assurances that the Kiwi international is in the right head space after his life unravelled in 2016.
It is has also been reported that a key condition of his return is to have no contact with longtime friend Hayson, which appears to be the main sticking point.
The Daily Telegraph claims that NRL officials have some reservations over the pair’s ongoing relationship.
However, Hayson insists he has not seen Foran for months.
‘‘I was distressed to learn that the reason Kieran won’t be cleared to return is because we’ve been in contact,’’ Hayson told the Telegraph.
‘‘I haven’t seen him for over three months. I haven’t been hanging out with him. I haven’t had any contact with him.’’
Last year, former brothel owner Hayson was reported to be a person of interest as NSW police looked into suspicious betting in three NRL matches. Hayson denied any wrongdoing and welcomed an investigation into match-fixing.
Foran and Hayson have been close for about a decade and were pictured gambling together in Gosford in August.
When Foran was rushed to hospital in 2016 after overdosing on prescription medication, Hayson later said his friend may not have been alive if he wasn’t there to help him through such a turbulent period.
Foran said last September he was ‘‘happy to pull the pin’’ on his relationship with Hayson if the NRL needed him to and he is said to have made some progress with the competition’s integrity unit. I just wish for Kieran’s sake that the NRL would clear him so he is able to get on with his life, as he has done nothing wrong.
He is expected to be cleared to play at some stage in 2017 but exactly when remains up in the year.
In December, Warriors managing director Jim Doyle said a decision on his future would likely be made in January, but the Telegraph claim he could be forced to wait until round six before he is allowed to resume his career.
Hayson says he immediately.
‘‘I’m still gobsmacked,’’ he added. ‘‘I want to know what he has done wrong.
‘‘I just wish for Kieran’s sake that the NRL would clear him so he is able to get on with his life, as he has done nothing wrong.’’
As well as the concerns surrounding his private life, Foran is also recovering from a shoulder injury which could also affect the timing of his return.
The Warriors open their season against Newcastle at Mt Smart on March 5. should be cleared The bottom-placed Breakers have dropped David Stockton from their playing roster, adding American point guard Kevin Dillard in a bid to turn their flailing Australian National Basketball League season around.
Dillard will waste no time in suiting up for the club; the 27-yearold is set to feature in the playing roster at the North Shore Events Centre for today’s against tabletopping Adelaide.
The cutting of Stockton, who has a back injury, follows the Breakers’ ugly 65-63 Friday night away loss to Cairns, which saw the Aucklandbased club take over bottom spot on the ladder from the Taipans with an eight-win, 11-loss record.
Also leaving the Breakers and returning home to the United States is Ben Woodside, Breakers general manager Dillon Boucher confirmed.
‘‘The first thing I want to do is acknowledge two players who have been a part of our organisation this season but for various reasons have not been able to give of their best. Ben Woodside and David Stockton will leave us this week. Ben, after it has become obvious that he won’t return to full fitness this season, and David, as he struggles to overcome a back injury,’’ Boucher said in a statement.
‘‘Replacing players is never easy and not something the Breakers do lightly or often.’’
Originally from Chicago and out of Southern Illinois and the University of Dayton (two years at each), Dillard is a well-travelled player. The 27-year-old joins big man Akil Mitchell and recent acquisition Paul Carter as the club’s three import players.
Stockton was underwhelming for the Breakers, averaging just nine points and 4.3 assists per game on 38 per cent shooting in his nine appearances.
Dillard most recently played with Turkish club Pinar Karsiyaka, where he averaged 10 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, shooting 42 per cent from the floor and 46 per cent from three point range. ‘‘This kind of came out of the blue but the timing was good,’’ he said.