Only five months ago, Jamayne Isaako was celebrating a Pacific Championships triumph alongside Kieran Foran.
Now the Melbourne-bound Dolphins’ flyer will face Foran in his first game as coach of the Manly Sea Eagles, after the Kiwi champion was announced as the club’s interim replacement for the sacked Anthony Seibold.
That’s how fast the NRL world can turn. One minute a player’s accomplishments are being praised as he eases into the next chapter of his life, and the next he is thrown into the furnace.
Isaako has seen up close in the New Zealand Test camp the impact Foran can have on those around him. He heard Foran speak of his struggles, during a career plagued by addiction, mental health battles and injuries – including 18 surgeries and a stint in a rehabilitation facility.
Still, he graced the NRL for 318 games while managing 34 Tests for his country.
When he spoke with this masthead ahead of his final appearance as a Gold Coast Titans, Foran said, “You’re kidding yourself if you think you’re not going to be challenged at certain times as a professional athlete.”
His ability to overcome those hurdles is why Isaako does not believe the Sea Eagles – winless this season – will be vulnerable when they arrive at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium on Thursday night.
“Foz is a great mate of mine. I have no doubt he’s going to have a long and good coaching career – they call him the Gladiator because he goes through a fair few hits and puts his body through hell,” Isaako said.
“He’s someone who, when he speaks and talks, he catches the attention of the playing group and whole room.
“One thing I know about him is that whenever he puts a jumper on, it doesn’t matter what club or for his country, he puts everything into it.”
The Dolphins’ clash with the Sea Eagles will also be significant to Isaako, as it will launch his last run home in the red jersey.
The 29-year-old was unveiled by the Melbourne Storm as their newest signing on a two-year deal from 2027 on Sunday, where he will join current teammate Oryn Keeley under coach Craig Bellamy’s tutelage.
Isaako has featured in each of the club’s 76 games – scoring his 50th try in the 26-12 defeat to the Broncos, and kicking 294 goals in the process – and declared he does not “plan on missing any” before venturing south.
But with his wife’s parents residing in Melbourne, and the Dolphins spoilt for wingers, the veteran was going to be pushing to feature in the Dolphins’ long-term plans.
The club will be hopeful of extending Selwyn Cobbo’s stay in Redcliffe, who comes off contract this year, while Jack Bostock is still to return from an ACL rupture. LJ Nonu and Tevita Naufahu are also highly rated talents.
“The decision to leave Brisbane was a tough one, it wasn’t something I was pursuing – I never really pictured myself leaving the Dolphins,” Isaako said.
“But at the end of the day, I think everyone knows and understands how the salary cap works.
“That’s the world of rugby league, sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to go, and you’ve just got to move on and move forward.”
He said Bellamy was one of the best coaches in the game, and welcomed “this opportunity for me to go down and sponge off him, learn off him, and the boys they’ve got there”.
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