The Manly Sea Eagles have reportedly opted against interviewing for other head coaching candidates, with the club set to open talks with Kieran Foran to permanently take on the role.
The 35-year-old took charge of the Sea Eagles in March after former head coach Anthony Seibold was axed just three games into the season.
Manly enjoyed instant success under Foran’s guidance, winning four consecutive games to revive the club’s season and parachute them into the top eight.
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And as first reported by The Daily Telegraph, the Sea Eagles have decided that Foran should lead the team moving forward in a full-time capacity, beating out the likes of Brad Arthur, Mick Ennis and Matt Ballin for the gig.
According to the News Corp report, the club will now focus on building a coaching set-up around Foran, with Shane Flanagan and John Cartwright touted as potential candidates to join Manly’s staff.
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Earlier this week, veteran forward Jake Trbojevic backed Foran for the permanent head coaching role.
“I can’t really explain how good it’s been these last five weeks—I’ve loved it,” he said.
“I’ve always got along with him, I played with him when I was young, there’s great respect there.
“Watching him as a leader, it’s phenomenal really, the whole community, the whole crowd gets behind him, he’s really turned us around.”
He continued: “Everyone has really responded to him as a person and as a leader —he’s done a great job since he’s taken over, for someone who was playing NRL last year to be head coach now is remarkable.
“His competitiveness and drive as a player is really wearing off on everyone, he’s taken that into his coaching career.”
The Sea Eagles will next host the Brisbane Broncos at Brookvale Oval on Saturday from 7.35pm AEST.
Originally published as Sea Eagles set to make huge Foran coaching call after stunning turnaround