Berkeley_Eagle
Current Status: 24/7 Manly Fan
Foran Brothers in Arms
Andrew Bryan
NRL
http://nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=51157
The star-studded Melbourne Storm boasts nine players in State of Origin, but it is one of their up-and-coming youngsters, Liam Foran, who is starting to create his own head-waves.
The talented halfback and proud Kiwi who made his NRL debut last week, has lofty ambitions of becoming the next Stacey Jones and would love nothing more than to play alongside his younger brother Kieran.
The Storm halfback-in-waiting is off contract at the end of the year and while his dream is to play with his brother, he is happy in Melbourne for the time being.
“The first year in Melbourne was pretty tough,†he said.
“I was getting home-sick and things like that, but the second year has been easier, we have a great group of guys here.â€ÂÂ
“I’m pretty happy down here in Melbourne, it is a great club and I am learning more and more every day.
“Obviously me and my brother talk about playing together at some stage, but at the moment I am happy at the Storm.â€ÂÂ
And why wouldn’t he be, Liam gets the chance to train with Premiership winning halfback Cooper Cronk and learn from another iconic brother, Matthew Johns.
“Cooper has been a big influence on me, he has taught me a lot and I am really grateful for that.
“A lot of it is just being patient and reading the game well and I think that is something Cooper is really good at.
“His organisational skills during 80 minutes is unreal and I’m learning how to be more composed in games.
“I have a really good relationship with Matty as well, he is a great role model both on the field and off and has taught me a lot.â€ÂÂ
The gifted Foran brothers are touted by many as the next big things in New Zealand Rugby League, the pair played under 10s together in New Zealand before moving to Australia in 1999.
Liam was picked up by Melbourne and Kieran went to Manly.
“I am very passionate about New Zealand,†Liam said.
“It is definitely a goal in the next couple of years and that is my motivation to play well.
“Growing up as brothers we have always talked about playing together at an international level, it is something we are both very passionate about and it is always in the back of our minds.â€ÂÂ
That passion stems from watching and mimicking Stacey Jones as youngsters.
“He is someone I followed a lot growing up as a Kiwi,†Liam said.
“To see what he did for New Zealand is something that inspires me, he was a great leader with a lot of good skills and attributes and he along with Andrew Johns have been the two big idols in my book.
“They proved you don’t need to be massive to play, if you have good skills and develop the little things you can make it at any size.â€ÂÂ
Liam toured with the Australian Schoolboys side in 2006 alongside Mitchell Pearce, Joel Thompson, Israel Folau, Chris Lawrence and Israel Folau who have gone on to make a name for themselves in the NRL.
Their success has given Liam all the motivation he needs to make it at the next level.
“To see those players playing so well at the moment definitely gives you a lot of confidence,†he said.
“It was a good opportunity to play in England and there are a lot of players in that side that are now playing NRL, so it was a great experience.â€ÂÂ
Andrew Bryan
NRL
http://nrl.com/News/Latest/tabid/10244/default.aspx?id=51157
The star-studded Melbourne Storm boasts nine players in State of Origin, but it is one of their up-and-coming youngsters, Liam Foran, who is starting to create his own head-waves.
The talented halfback and proud Kiwi who made his NRL debut last week, has lofty ambitions of becoming the next Stacey Jones and would love nothing more than to play alongside his younger brother Kieran.
The Storm halfback-in-waiting is off contract at the end of the year and while his dream is to play with his brother, he is happy in Melbourne for the time being.
“The first year in Melbourne was pretty tough,†he said.
“I was getting home-sick and things like that, but the second year has been easier, we have a great group of guys here.â€ÂÂ
“I’m pretty happy down here in Melbourne, it is a great club and I am learning more and more every day.
“Obviously me and my brother talk about playing together at some stage, but at the moment I am happy at the Storm.â€ÂÂ
And why wouldn’t he be, Liam gets the chance to train with Premiership winning halfback Cooper Cronk and learn from another iconic brother, Matthew Johns.
“Cooper has been a big influence on me, he has taught me a lot and I am really grateful for that.
“A lot of it is just being patient and reading the game well and I think that is something Cooper is really good at.
“His organisational skills during 80 minutes is unreal and I’m learning how to be more composed in games.
“I have a really good relationship with Matty as well, he is a great role model both on the field and off and has taught me a lot.â€ÂÂ
The gifted Foran brothers are touted by many as the next big things in New Zealand Rugby League, the pair played under 10s together in New Zealand before moving to Australia in 1999.
Liam was picked up by Melbourne and Kieran went to Manly.
“I am very passionate about New Zealand,†Liam said.
“It is definitely a goal in the next couple of years and that is my motivation to play well.
“Growing up as brothers we have always talked about playing together at an international level, it is something we are both very passionate about and it is always in the back of our minds.â€ÂÂ
That passion stems from watching and mimicking Stacey Jones as youngsters.
“He is someone I followed a lot growing up as a Kiwi,†Liam said.
“To see what he did for New Zealand is something that inspires me, he was a great leader with a lot of good skills and attributes and he along with Andrew Johns have been the two big idols in my book.
“They proved you don’t need to be massive to play, if you have good skills and develop the little things you can make it at any size.â€ÂÂ
Liam toured with the Australian Schoolboys side in 2006 alongside Mitchell Pearce, Joel Thompson, Israel Folau, Chris Lawrence and Israel Folau who have gone on to make a name for themselves in the NRL.
Their success has given Liam all the motivation he needs to make it at the next level.
“To see those players playing so well at the moment definitely gives you a lot of confidence,†he said.
“It was a good opportunity to play in England and there are a lot of players in that side that are now playing NRL, so it was a great experience.â€ÂÂ
