Foran expects much more from Warriors

Kieran Foran hopes the struggling Warriors can start realising their potential when they face the Gold Coast Titans in Auckland.

Kieran Foran is calling for patience from Warriors supporters, but not just over his long-awaited return to the NRL.

Foran wants the club to be given more leeway this season, believing they are yet to play at anything like the level he suspects they can reach under new coach Stephen Kearney.

The Warriors and the Titans, their opponents on Sunday, were among six teams languishing on the bottom rung of the competition ladder at the start of the round with one win and three losses.

Foran says that record and their performances so far do not reflect the standards reached in the pre-season.

More time learning to play under Kearney, a man he fully respects after years together with the Kiwis, will be invaluable.

"We've just got to stay together because I know that things will turn for us," Foran said.

"I've seen glimpses of what we've worked on. We're not getting over the line just yet but once we've built some momentum and strung some wins together, there's no doubt in my mind we can make a charge."

Foran will undergo a fitness test on his hamstring on Saturday, having been rubbed out of last week's loss to St George Illawarra five minutes before kick-off.

The 26-year-old says in hindsight it was a smart decision not to play, despite the initial disappointment that his long period on the sideline would last for at least another week.

The Warriors found themselves 20-2 down early against the Dragons and Foran suggested his late withdrawal may have played a part.

"It had been a really good week's preparation, we just felt like everyone was starting to find their role," he said.

"It would have thrown the boys a little bit but I thought they adapted reasonably well and put in a gutsy effort."

Foran's assessment of the crippling start didn't win approval from teammate Ryan Hoffman, who says such excuses don't wash in first grade.

He says while the late change may have "shifted some mindsets", the players are professional enough not to allow basic errors to permeate, as they did in the 26-12 loss at Jubilee Oval.

"We think we're killing ourselves at the moment," former skipper Hoffman said.

"We shot ourselves in the foot way too many times and this competition's too hard to have to chase points.

"That's what we're doing at the moment."

Hoffman says Foran's eventual return shouldn't be regarded as a panacea for the Warriors, saying he will need to time to find his feet after a long absence.


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Source: AAP


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