Young guns close to sticking with Sea Eagles
BRAD WALTER
April 21, 2010
WITH boom five-eighth Kieran Foran close to finalising his future at Manly, rookie fullback Ben Farrar has declared his desire to remain at the club beyond this season.
Farrar, the nephew of former Canterbury great Andrew Farrar, starred in Monday night's 18-16 defeat of Melbourne and said yesterday he was beginning to relish the opportunity to deputise for injured international Brett Stewart, despite having little experience in the custodian role.
''I played there a little bit in juniors but not a lot, so it's a bit different to what I am used,'' Farrar said. ''I suppose knowing that Brett is not going to be back for the rest of the season, I've got to try and get my head around the role and try to improve each week and I am enjoying it at the moment.
''Brett obviously knows the position inside out and he's been giving me little tips here and there. He's been really good to me and a big help.''
With Stewart due to return from his knee injury next season, Farrar will have to find another position but the 23-year-old Newcastle junior said he would be happy to do so at Manly.
After re-signing Jamie Lyon and Anthony Watmough, retaining Foran has been the club's priority and the 19-year-old Kiwis playmaker said yesterday he had all but agreed to a new deal.
''Hopefully things we will be wrapped up soon and I can just get on with it,'' Foran said. ''I'm happy with where I am, I want to stay, and looks like I will be able to do so.''
Farrar said he also hoped to re-sign. ''I am off contract at the end of the year but I would love to stay,'' he said. ''It is a great club and they have looked after me so this is first and foremost where I want to stay.''
After recording their fourth consecutive win, the Sea Eagles are now third on the premiership ladder, and Foran said they had taken a lot of confidence from becoming the first team to inflict back-to-back defeats on Melbourne in four years.
''It was massive to go down there and get the two points, especially with them coming off the loss to the Titans last week,'' he said. ''We just knew we had to turn up. We had spoken about it all week and we knew that in order to beat them we had to go out there and physically bash them and I think our boys did that. That was the bottom line, I think we just ran harder and tackled harder than they did.''
Foran and fellow Kiwi Steve Matai met New Zealand coach Stephen Kearney, the Storm assistant, after the match and Foran said he was hopeful of partnering Benji Marshall in the halves for the May 7 Test against Australia in Melbourne.
''We talked to him outside the sheds, me and Steve caught up with him and had a bit of a chat with him,'' Foran said. ''But I've just got to make sure that I am playing well and hopefully that other stuff will take care of itself.''
source -
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...o-sticking-with-sea-eagles-20100420-srus.html
