Brown can be world’s best No.6: farewelling Foran
Scott Bailey |
Kieran Foran has declared Dylan Brown can be the world’s best five-eighth, adamant his former Kiwi halves partner will brush off any pressure surrounding his big-money Newcastle move.
An emotional Foran signed off from his own 17-year career on Sunday, admitting he was as nervous for the Pacific Cup final as any game in his career.
The 35-year-old reported for duty at Brookvale Oval on Monday to begin his assistant coach role at Manly, as the club begins life after Daly Cherry-Evans.
But no player will have a bigger spotlight on them than Brown in 2026, when he arrives at Newcastle on a $13 million 10-year deal.
After spending time out of Parramatta’s team this year with the Eels planning for the future, Brown was man of the match in all three of New Zealand’s Pacific Cup wins.
His running game was at its best in the 36-14 thumping of Samoa, busting nine tackles and laying on three tries to all but seal the golden boot award.
“I think he can be the best No.6 in the world. The sky’s the limit for him,” Foran said.
“This is a guy that’s 25. He’s played a hell of a lot of footy in a short amount of time.
“Yeah, he faced some adversity this year with making the big move to Newcastle, and things at Parramatta there weren’t travelling as smoothly.
“But he was as fit as I’ve ever seen him look. I just thought, this bloke’s on. ‘He’s going to come in and prove a point’. And he did that.”
Brown is expected to wear No.7 at the Knights, but the half has maintained the number on his back won’t change his game.
Foran himself was in a similar spot 10 years ago, moving from Manly to the Eels.
His personal issues and subsequent exit from Parramatta are well publicised, but said Brown’s cruisy approach meant the spotlight would not be an issue.
“He doesn’t look like he overthinks his footy, and I think that’s what makes him a great player,” Foran said.
“He’ll be unfazed by the pressure that he’s going to feel at Newcastle.
“If he’s fit and he’s playing his game, forget about it. If the guys can do their job around him … is there a better running six at the moment? I don’t know about that.”
Foran, meanwhile, labelled Sunday’s victory as his favourite moment in a Kiwi jersey.
After a career that looked over at countless points in the past decade, the playmaker has instead finished with an international trophy.
He shed tears during the New Zealand anthem, was called over to lift the trophy with James Fisher-Harris and had teammates perform a haka for him after the game.
“It started to build on me (in the anthem). I could see my family in the crowd, I was looking at my wife,” Foran said.
“It was just a whole journey.
“It sort of comes to you at one time, you know, like 17 years, the highs, the lows, and everything was going through my mind. This was it. This was the point.
“I just can’t believe it. I was so nervous, because I just wanted it so badly.”
AAP
