Kieran Foran has heaped praise on Gold Coast’s character and claims their ability to hold on against Manly is evidence they are a tougher NRL team in 2023.
Six days after letting a 26-0 lead go against the Dolphins, the Titans were perilously close to relinquishing another big lead on Saturday night against the Sea Eagles.
Up 16-2 at halftime, the Titans watched as Foran’s old team got the margin down to six and had all the momentum off the back of a try and penalty goal.
But their final 25 minutes of the match was clinical, barely letting Manly launch another attacking set.
“There’s no denying that when they scored after halftime, everyone in our side would have been having flashbacks to what went on the week before against Dolphins,” Foran told AAP.
“That’s what I was so proud of, we took some really valuable lessons from that loss to the Dolphins and the way we responded after they scored.
“We were able to halt it then and there after one try. We kept the ball down their end.”
The Titans’ resilience comes after their character was called into question in the past week, following on from a 2022 where they became the first side in history to give up two 20-point leads.
“It does talk to our character,” Foran said of Saturday night’s win.
“No-one was hurting more than us after last week’s debacle. We had to sit in that all week.
“We were just counting down the days until we could get out there and rectify it.
“Saturday was a reminder we have done the work. We have turned a corner here. We had such a hard pre-season.
“We got ourself in the best shape, so we could grind in games for longer.”
No-one was gutsier than Foran in his return to Brookvale, needing six stitches in his finger, a pain-killing needle in his toe and strapping on his knee.
He will have scans on his toe and knee on Monday but is hopeful of facing Parramatta in Magic Round and not joining AJ Brimson (hamstring) on the sideline.
“I had to get my finger stitched up. I sliced that open in the first half.
“I had to get my toe needled at halftime, because that didn’t feel right. I don’t know what I have done to it. I will get an X-ray tomorrow.
“My knee was heavily strapped, and with 10 minutes to go in the game that got caught.
“It was ironic that I was battling through the way I was at Brookie. I was thinking, geez, I’ve done this here a few times. Just in different colours.”
© AAP 2023
