Kieran Foran insists he's now mentally strong enough to cope back in the spotlight in Sydney when he joins Canterbury next NRL season.
The controversial star is set to join his fourth club in four seasons when he links with his former Manly coach Des Hasler at the Bulldogs, having retreated to his homeland New Zealand to deal with mental health issues and played for the Warriors this season.
The Warriors were desperate to keep the playmaker who has turned their team around with his on-field organisation and they now warn that he needs to continue getting good off-field support back in Sydney.
Being closer to his two children in Sydney was the all-important factor in Foran's decision to leave.
“I’m a lot stronger person, a lot more comfortable person and I’ve got no doubt in my mind that when I return to Sydney next year, I’ll be fine,” Foran said on Wednesday.
“It would’ve been nice to extend (the Warriors deal), but I feel like it’s time for me to go back and play a bigger role in my children’s lives.
“Things weren’t great for me in Sydney (previously) - my life had taken a downward spiral, it was out of control – (so) being able to come back to New Zealand, my homeland, take myself out of that environment for this year, it’s changed my life forever.”
A three-year deal with Canterbury is all but confirmed, and Foran told reporters on Wednesday he’d be wearing blue and white in the 2018 NRL campaign.
Foran endured a horror 2016 in which he struggled under various pressures, attempted to take his own life, left Parramatta after just nine appearances and crossed the Tasman to sort out his mental health problems.
He was only able to get his Warriors contract registered after severing ties with NSW-based gambling identity Eddie Hayson and satisfying the NRL about his mental condition.
Having remained in Australia with his children after playing in the Kiwis’ 30-12 Test loss to the Kangaroos last Friday, Foran said he made a final decision on his future on Tuesday after discussions with Warriors coach Stephen Kearney and club chief Jim Doyle.
He felt indebted to the club for reaching out to him when few other options were on the table.
He said Doyle had done everything possible to make the absence of his children, aged three and one, more bearable – including fortnightly trips to Sydney during the pre-season and allowing him extra time off after away NRL matches.
But with the decision now made, Foran said he’d put all of his energy into making his sole season at the Warriors a special one, with a deep finals run.
He would then look forward to reuniting with Hasler, who gave him his NRL start and under whom he always felt at ease.
“I knew the time was coming where I’d have to make a final decision and it’s a big weight off the shoulders when I walked in this morning,” Foran said.
“It’s always hard when you’re weighing up where your future lies, it does weigh on your mind and can become a bit of a distraction, I’ve certainly noticed it’s been that way.
“Hopefully with the decision behind me, I can really step it up another level.
“In the end, the opportunity to go back and be closer to the kids was just too much.”
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