Bulldogs boss Phil Gould has revealed “secret meetings” almost led Kieran Foran to join the coaching staff at Belmore before a “sliding door moment” triggered by the Sea Eagles.
Foran retired after a stellar playing career at the end of last season, finishing with more than 300 first grade appearances and 34 Tests to his name for New Zealand.
Regarded as one of the toughest and most resilient playmakers of his generation, Foran had already started taking steps towards a media career before hanging up the boots.
But during Wide World of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus this week, Gould revealed he almost lured Foran back to Belmore, where he played 40 matches in three seasons.
“I’m not talking out of school here – I actually interviewed Kieran Foran two or three times last year,” the Dogs general manager of football said.
“Cameron Ciraldo might have ran into him one day and he was talking about coming down to Sydney to work in the media. Cameron is always looking for talented coaches and we actually spoke to him about coming to join the Bulldogs.
“He could come and work in our academy programs and help our young halves and coaches and run his own hours. It would have been a low-level entry into coaching and he could come along and watch the NRL sessions and watch Cameron Ciraldo operate.
“We had a couple of conversations and secret meetings. Everything was going along OK and all of a sudden, we’d picked up the paper and he’d gone back to Manly.”
Instead of heading back to Belmore and honing his craft, Foran decided to link up with Anthony Seibold in a more senior NRL coaching position.
Three games into the season, Seibold was sacked and Foran is now the man at the helm for the Sea Eagles, who are yet to register a victory in 2026.
“I don’t think back then going to Manly he foresaw what was to happen now, but it’s a sliding doors moment,” Gould continued.
“All of a sudden after three rounds, he finds himself in charge with the big job.
“He was a tremendous, long-serving player and I’ve always been an admirer of Kieran Foran and the way he played the game. The way he played and the coaching he had sort of fuels the criteria of someone who will be a student of the game and could impart that knowledge … which is why we made the approach to him.
“It would have been a nice low-level entry for him [at the Bulldogs] and would be good for our academy program and it was obvious to me that he wanted to be a coach.
“Something about the Manly situation appealed to him and now he’s the head coach.”
Foran will coach his first game on Thursday night against the Dolphins.
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