Bulldogs praise Foran bravery after star ruled out for up to three months
Christian NicolussiApril 2, 2019 — 7.06pm
Kieran Foran showed remarkable courage to play an entire 50 minutes with a high-ankle sprain that would have left most people struggling to walk.
And to make sure the Bulldogs star recruit remains in a good head space as he recovers from his latest injury setback, coach Dean Pay will make a point of keeping Foran around the playing group and working with new young halves Lachlan Lewis and Jack Cogger.
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Givney said Foran could not receive painkillers at half-time because of the arteries and nerves around the ankle joint. Foran had to make 16 tackles and four tackle-busts virtually on one leg.
Pay, who played suffered his fair share of injuries during his playing career, said it was a huge blow for Foran and the club, especially with Sunday's performance in the shock win over the Wests Tigers seen by many as his best to date in the club colours.
"I asked him how he was, but he always says he's fine," Pay said. "I thought he played great last week, he was really finding some form and getting back to his best, which is taking the line on, and with a bit of luck he scored one and could have scored a couple of more.
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"I feel for him, the whole club feels for him. Injuries are a part of the game. It's terrible timing for him and the club.
"He has a really good support network around him, especially with [wife] Karina and the kids.
"I'm going to make sure we keep him involved and he takes on a mentoring role with the two younger boys [Lewis and Cogger] now. We'll certainly utilise his football nous and all his experience, that's for sure. He'll have his input into how we're playing. It's invaluable.''
Foran has had a well-documented battle with injuries and his mental health, but told the
Herald a fortnight ago he was lifting the kind of weights he did when he was 21 and "I haven't been this happy for a long, long time ... all the stars have aligned".
He was said to be devastated when the MRI scans confirmed the high-ankle sprain on Monday.
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Canterbury had hoped to lure Cogger down the M1 Motorway from Newcastle this time last year but were forced to wait until this season. Pay also pointed out Cogger had played along side new No. 1 Nick Meaney at the Knights.
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