Into the light: Foran’s quest to enhance mental health
Joel Gould |
Kieran Foran is set to make a more valuable impact off the field in the mental health area than he has in a stellar NRL career.
The 35-year-old will play his 318th and last game when the Gold Coast host Wests Tigers on Saturday.
Foran has experienced the highs and lows of footy and life itself in unimaginable ways, and it’s his self-growth as a person and father that is the mark of the man.
The 2011 premiership winner at Manly was so low in 2016 that he attempted to take his own life after a relationship break-up and personal issues that spiralled out of control.
He was self-medicating with alcohol and gambling, but was able to turn his life around, by looking at the man in the mirror.
A new relationship with wife Karina has made him happy, but the couple had the unspeakable grief of losing Kieran’s stepson Logan Steinwede to suicide in 2023 at the tender age of 20.
Foran did not want others to go through the pain, and linked with the Top Blokes Foundation in an ongoing ambassadorial role.
“We connected with Top Blokes not long after Logan’s death. They are an organisation that goes into schools and tries to educate young men around the decisions they are making in life and how to get themselves on track and lead healthy and positive lives,” Foran told AAP.
“I’m incredibly dedicated and passionate about helping people through dark stages of their life and struggling times. We as human beings are going to face real testing times that can be too much for us, having lived it myself through my own journey.
“To lose Logan two years ago changed our lives, and none more than my wife Karina. My commitment to this space now is to help educate young guys that are struggling, to not make that fatal decision and take their own life.
“They don’t understand what they are leaving behind and the destruction it leaves on everyone and how sorely they are missed.”
Foran has such a powerful message due to his own lived experience.
“I was a pretty wild young fella at times. I was living life in the fast lane,” he said.
“What starts out as a few beers and punts here and there can quite quickly turn into self-medicating with two things you shouldn’t regulate yourself with.
“When we start turning to negative behaviour to regulate our emotions, we start the cycle of a downward spiral of how we feel internally. It is something you have to be mindful of and something I try and educate as many young guys I can of the risks once these behaviours get out of hand.
“For me it was a slippery slope in the middle part of my career, but I was grateful to get another chance at it and put the work in and rebuild my life with the support and love of those around me.”
Foran is set to have further discussions with incoming Titans coach Josh Hannay about a role to work with the spine players in 2026 on specialist coaching and game management principles.
He has left a legacy as one of the great modern playmakers at NRL and Test level for New Zealand.
The 2011 title at Manly, under his current coach Des Hasler, established an enduring liaison with halves partner Daly Cherry-Evans.
“It was such a special time to be able to experience the success of rugby league early on in my career,” Foran said.
“Me and Daly learned from those experienced guys what it was like to play finals footy and win big games.”
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