Two NRL premiership-winning playmakers have recently re-signed until the end of 2025, and Gold Coast veteran Kieran Foran wants to be the next.
"I won't pull up stumps," the off-contract Foran told AAP.
The 33-year-old, who was part of Manly's 2011 premiership side under coach Des Hasler, is in no rush to extend his deal beyond 2024.
However, with Brisbane’s Adam Reynolds and Sydney Roosters’ Luke Keary both inking new deals, it has shone a light on the value of players with their rare football nous.
"They have had wonderful careers and are still going extremely well, and I’d like to think I can do the same," Foran told AAP at the club's season launch.
"I’m not feeling like I am slowing up or seeing the finish line. I feel as good as I have ever felt physically and mentally.
"There is just no need from my point of view to have an end point in mind.
"I’ll keep playing for as long as I can. I will stay on (beyond 2024) if the club feels it’s needed and if it is what’s right for the club. I won’t pull up stumps."
Foran has had battles with his body over the years, which is hardly a surprise. He is a No.6 who takes on the line with no thought of self-preservation.
He is in career-best shape and is still the man the Titans will depend on in the big moments.
Like all the best playmakers, Foran makes the players around him better, while making his own pivotal mark on all the games he plays.
That is why the 281-game NRL veteran is not expecting to be made a special case under his old Manly coach Hasler, who has taken over at the helm of the Titans in 2024.
Reynolds won the 2014 title with South Sydney, and Keary won three premierships with the Roosters (2013, 2018-19).
The veterans still hold the key to their teams' performances week-in and week-out.
While Foran is also the linchpin at the Titans, that fact is not funnelling into any complacency.
"I am a realist," he said.
"I know I will be judged on performance and results, no different to anyone else."
Foran played his first season with the Titans in 2023. The New Zealand international didn't sign with the club to just go through the motions, and wants to add a second premiership to his resume.
"I am really positive about the year ahead and optimistic about our hopes and chances of really achieving something great," Foran said.
