Rugby league great Andrew Johns believes teenage playmaker Kieran Foran has the necessary toughness and class to seamlessly fill the hole left by Matt Orford at the Manly scrum-base next year.
'Joey' put the club's potential No.7s through a master class this week and came away convinced 18-year-old Foran was capable of handling the step up despite playing just a handful of NRL games in 2009.
Trent Hodkinson and Daly Cherry-Evans will also trial in Orford's position but are unlikely to unseat Foran, who made his international debut for the Kiwis during the recent Four Nations tournament.
'The big thing he's got going for him is that he's tough,' Johns said of Foran.
'He won't be scared, he will run the ball. I like his running game, but he's tough, he's a real tough kid.'
Foran has played all his senior football at five-eighth but Johns says the switch to half-back won't prove a problem.
'There's not much difference these days, it's just a number on their backs,' he said.
'I think Kieran Foran is an outstanding player. So is Trent Hodkinson.'
'Cherry-Evans is a good player, too. They have all got an opportunity sooner than they thought and they are all ready.'
'Manly is a strong club and playing behind a strong forward pack will help them out.'
Former Sea Eagles half-back Phil Blake is another Foran fan, labelling him the perfect replacement for the UK-bound Orford.
'I totally agree with what Joey said about the kid. He is tough and tenacious and physically he will more than handle the step up,' Blake told Sportal.
'I think it's good timing for a change of the guard at Manly. Matt Orford was great for the club and brought a lot to the table as a player and skipper and now this young kid gets his chance.'
'He's fortunate that his got some hardheads around him in 'Choc' Watmough and Glenn Stewart. That will help make it a smooth transition.'
