Liam Foran (born 25 April 1988) is a New Zealand former professional
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
footballer who has played for the
Cessnock Goannas
The Cessnock Goannas Rugby League Football Club is an Australian rugby league football club based in Cessnock, New South Wales, formed in 1911. They currently play in the Newcastle Rugby League competition
Notable Rugby League Juniors
*Matthew ...
in the
Newcastle Rugby League
The Newcastle Rugby League is a local rugby league football competition in Newcastle, Australia. It is one of the oldest rugby league competitions in Australia, founded in 1910. A Newcastle rugby league team, Newcastle representative team was al ...
Competition in Newcastle, Australia, as a or .
Background
Liam Foran was born in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand. He is the brother of NRL player
Kieran Foran
Kieran Foran (born 13 July 1990) is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Foran previously played for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles in two separate ...
.
Early years
Foran played his junior football at the
Ellerslie Eagles
The Ellerslie Eagles are a rugby league club based in Ellerslie, New Zealand. The club was founded in 1912 and competes in Auckland Rugby League competitions. Its premier team competes in the Sharman cup. The club celebrated its centenary Queen ...
Rugby League Football Club in the
Auckland Rugby League
The Auckland Rugby League (ARL) is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in the Auckland Region of New Zealand. Founded in 1909, the ARL has played a pivotal role in the development and promotion of rugby league in Auckland and beyond.
...
competition. Foran went to
Ellerslie Primary School before moving over to
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. He moved to
St Ives on the
North Shore of Sydney, where he teams St Ives North Public School with fellow future National Rugby League player
Mitchell Pearce.
In 2001 he began high school at
Marist Catholic College North Shore
Marist Catholic College North Shore (often shortened to Marist North Shore or abbreviated as MCCNS) is an independent Systemic Schools, Australia, systemic Roman Catholic Church in Australia, Roman Catholic K–12 Mixed-sex education, coeducat ...
. He also represented the
North Sydney Bears
The North Sydney Bears are an Australian rugby league football club based in Cammeray on Sydney's North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The club currently competes in the NSW Cup, having exited the National Rugby League following the 1999 NRL s ...
junior teams before signing with
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in 2007. While attending
Marist Catholic College North Shore
Marist Catholic College North Shore (often shortened to Marist North Shore or abbreviated as MCCNS) is an independent Systemic Schools, Australia, systemic Roman Catholic Church in Australia, Roman Catholic K–12 Mixed-sex education, coeducat ...
, Foran played for the school competition representative squad, MCC (Metropolitan Catholic Colleges), leading him to NSW CCC (New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges) and eventually
2006 Australian Schoolboys which toured England and France.
During the tour he surprised some by stating his desire to replace
Stacey Jones
Stacey William Jones (born 7 May 1976) is a New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer, who has been named amongst the greatest New Zealand has ever produced. He is currently the head coach of New Zealand national rugby league te ...
as
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
's long-term halfback. One year later, he made the
2007 Junior Kiwis squad and played a key part in the team defeating the
Junior Kangaroos
The Junior Kangaroos side represents Australia in the sport of rugby league. They are commonly known as the Junior Kangaroos, after the native marsupial of that name.
Since 2019, they are an under-23 side, with players selected from the NRL. Th ...
.
Ironically, it was Liam's younger brother Kieran who would take a similar role barring injury, debuting in 2009, captaining the side twice & playing a crucial role in their 2014 Four Nations Title & run to the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final.
Melbourne
In 2008 Foran joined Melbourne's
Toyota Cup (Under-20s) team, and also played three
first grade
First grade (also 1st Grade or Grade 1) is the first year of formal or compulsory education. It is the first year of elementary school, and the first school year after kindergarten. Children in first grade are usually 6–7 years old.
Examples ...
games for the club during the
State of Origin period.
Auckland
Foran signed for the
New Zealand Warriors
The Warriors are a professional rugby league football club based in Auckland, New Zealand that competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) premiership and is the League's only team from outside Australia. They were formed in 1995 as the Aucklan ...
for the
2009 NRL season
The 2009 NRL season was the 102nd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the twelfth run by the National Rugby League. For the third consecutive year, sixteen teams competed for the 2009 Telstra Premiersh ...
, with an option for the 2010 season.
However he was released by the club in June, without playing a senior game.
Instead he played the first half of the season with the
Auckland Vulcans
The Auckland Vulcans were an Auckland based rugby league club that participated in the New South Wales Cup. They were administered by the Rugby League Development Foundation. The team was selected from the Auckland Rugby League's Fox Memorial C ...
in the
New South Wales Cup
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...
. Foran represented the
NSW Residents in 2009 against the
Queensland Residents
The Queensland Residents rugby league team is a representative rugby league team consisting of players who compete in the Intrust Super Cup (Queensland Cup) competition. They currently play an annual fixture against NSW Cup Representative Tea ...
due to good form while with the Auckland Vulcans.
Sydney Roosters
After leaving the Warriors, Foran joined the
Newtown Jets
The Newtown Jets are an Australian rugby league football club based in Newtown, New South Wales, Newtown, a suburb of Inner West (Sydney), Sydney's inner west. They currently compete in the NSW Cup competition, having left the top grade after t ...
. He then signed for the Jets' parent club, the
Sydney Roosters
Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club, known as the Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Eastern Suburbs. The club competes in the National Rugby Lea ...
, for the 2010 season.
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Foran signed with the
Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
for the
2011 NRL season
The 2011 NRL season was the 104th season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the fourteenth and last run by the National Rugby League's partnership committee of the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. The ...
, joining his brother Kieran. Foran made his first grade début during the
2012 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles season on 9 April, replacing his younger brother in the team at after Kieran was ruled out with a
hamstring
A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris.
Etymology
The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
injury and made a solid contribution in helping Manly end a three-game losing streak with a 30–0 win over
Penrith at
Brookvale Oval
Brookvale Oval, currently known as 4 Pines Park for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Brookvale, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The ground is owned by Northern Beaches Council and is primarily used by the M ...
.
Foran senior fills the breach
This was his first first grade game since 2008, when he played on three occasions for the Melbourne Storm during the State of Origin Series. During that gap, he played for the Toyota Cup or NSW Cup squads for all the clubs he signed, the Melbourne Storm's Under 20's team nicknamed "The Thunderbolts", the New Zealand Warriors' reserve-grade team the Auckland Vulcans, the Sydney Roosters' reserve-grade team Newtown and the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
The Manly Warringah Sea Eagles are an Australian professional rugby league club based in Sydney's Northern Beaches. They compete in the National Rugby League (NRL). The Manly club debuted in the 1947 New South Wales Rugby Football League sea ...
NSW Cup
The NSW Cup, currently known as the Knock-On Effect NSW Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a rugby league competition for clubs in New South Wales. The competition has a history dating back to the NSWRFL's origins in 1908, starting off as a reserve ...
team of the same name.
London Broncos
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foran, Liam
1988 births
Living people
Auckland rugby league team players
Cessnock Goannas players
Ellerslie Eagles players
Junior Kiwis players
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players
Melbourne Storm players
New Zealand rugby league players
Newtown Jets NSW Cup players
Rugby league five-eighths
Rugby league halfbacks
Rugby league players from Auckland
Salford Red Devils players
Wentworthville Magpies players