Warriors ‘confident’ of signing Foran

Mannering wins top award for fifth time

Warriors managing director Jim Doyle says he is ‘‘confident’ that the club can sign Kieran Foran for next season.

The troubled five-eighth is without a club for next year after his contract with the Eels was terminated early this season.

It is believed there are a number of other clubs interest in signing the 20-test Kiwi, including the Storm. But the Warriors are leading the race to grab one of the best players in the NRL and it’s understood they are close to reaching an agreement.

‘‘We’ve got no contract at this point in time with Kieran and that’s still a work in progress. We continue to talk to him on a regular basis,’’ Doyle said, before asked if he was confident of securing Foran’s services

‘‘Yes, I would say I’m confident,’’ he said. ‘‘As I say to some people, I’d say we’re the favourites, but the favourite doesn’t always win.’’

Foran was on around $1 million a season for the Eels. The Warriors don’t have that much room inside their salary cap to get him and it could be that the NRL’S salary cap auditor determines whether he joins the club.

The Warriors would be looking to get Foran for a lot less than he was being paid at the Eels, but the salary cap auditor could decide he should still be paid around $1 million for the season. ’’If that’s the case then he won’t be here at the Warriors,’’ Doyle said. Simon Mannering has been named the Warriors Player of the Year for a record fifth time in his 12-season career at Mt Smart.

On the same day Stephen Kearney was confirmed as coach Andrew Mcfadden’s replacement, Mannering beat out fellow finalists Shaun Johnson, Thomas Leuluai and Bodene Thompson for the top prize at the club’s awards dinner in Auckland last night.

The tireless back-rower is the only player in Warriors’ history to win the award more than twice, with Steve Price earning the accolade in 2006 and 2007 and Ben Matulino honoured in 2012 and 2015.

After another disappointing season which saw the Warriors miss the finals for the fifth-straight year, Mannering was a model of consistency. The 30-year-old, who also won the award in 2008, 2011, 2013 and 2014, played in 22 of the 24

The Warriors will likely argue to the NRL that they’re taking a punt on Foran because of his off field issues and injuries this year and therefore he’s no longer a $1 million player.

The other issue involving Foran is that he’ll be required to front the NRL’S integrity unit to answer a range of questions, including some about his relationship with controversial punter Eddie Hayson.

He’ll also need to explain the use of his personal TAB account

games, finishing with five tries to lift his career tally to 58, fourth on the club’s all-time list.

He averaged 77 minutes on the field making an average 11.2 runs,

and allegations linking him to match fixing. Foran’s health and mental well being will also be looked into.

Doyle said he didn’t believe it was wrong to be in negotiations with a player with these issues facing him.

‘‘If I remember rightly I read something in the paper today about Jarryd Hayne and it is just a cloud, you can’t prejudge anyone,’’ he said.

’’So from our point of view, if we 89.95 metres and 47.36 tackles a game. It’s the second straight season he has topped 1000 tackles.

Despite stepping down as captain at the beginning of the season, Mannering was also named Clubman of the Year in recognition for his work off the field.

The double honour capped a campaign in which he became only the second player after Stacey Jones to play 250 NRL games for the Warriors.

He finished the year on 258 matches and needs just four more games next season to move beyond Jones’ record of 261.

Johnson may have received plenty of criticism from fans after an indifferent campaign but he was again voted the winner of the People’s Choice Award, while Nathaniel Roache edged Jazz Tevaga to be crowned Rookie of the Year.

think he’s got the right values, the right attributes as a person and think he’s in the right condition and then he’s someone we’ll potentially go after.’’

The announcement of Stephen Kearney as the new Warriors coach could play a part in helping lure Foran to Auckland.

Kearney has a close relationship with Foran through the Kiwis, but says Foran still has a way to go before he’s ready to play in the NRL again.