SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 17: Kieran Foran of the Bulldogs makes a break during the round 22 NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Canterbury Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The Canterbury Bulldogs look set to receive unwelcome news from the NRL next week that their salary cap relief for injured Kieran Foran will be just a fraction of the star pivot's contract.
The Dogs will be told that the most they can receive for a player who is ruled out for at least 12 matches after being injured on representative duty is $350,000, a current rule which was brought in during 2018.
That is not the news the Dogs would have been hoping for, with the club paying Foran $1.2 million in the final year of his contract.
Foran dislocated his shoulder while playing for New Zealand against Great Britain in early November after the completion of the NRL season.
Foran spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald recently and said he is targeting a round 15 return against South Sydney or a potential round 17 clash with the New Zealand Warriors after the bye.
“In my head I want to be back in the middle of the year,’’ Foran said. “If I can get back around that round-15 mark, it would be nice.
“That will be just over the six-month mark from the second surgery. It’s generally nine months to recover from rotator-cuff surgery.
“If you speak to most specialists, they’ll tell you nine months is a safe number. But speaking to various people about it, there have been blokes who have done it in six months in the past — I think there was even a case where a bloke came back in five months.’’
Foran has been in the gym constantly since the removal of his sling last week, and is now aiming to ramp up his rehab in the coming weeks.
“Hopefully I can actually start running in three weeks out on the paddock with the boys and get out of the gym,’’ he said.
“I’m the only one left in the rehab group. I won’t be stubborn about trying to get back. It’s about making a calculated decision, and I’m confident I can get back out there with the boys and contribute.’’