Bulldogs halfback Kieran Foran could stay with the club beyond this season after initial talks have begun between the two parties on a deal, reports The Sydney Morning Herald.
Foran could remain with the Bulldogs next season after making it known that he wants to play another year in the NRL, and a reduced contract is looking a genuine possibility for the injured star.
With Foran in the last year of his deal with the Bulldogs at around $1 million a season, Foran is one of the highest paid stars in the league. And although there's no guarantee the two clubs will come to an agreement on a contract, the Bulldogs have consistently kept in touch with Foran in the hopes to work out the potential of a deal.
Foran said he'd "love to turn it around" at the Bulldogs after an injury plagued time at the club after only managing to play in 31 games since 2018 and would love the opportunity to remain at the club.
"For me I've had a couple of injury-ravaged years at Canterbury and it hasn't been a good feeling," Foran said. "When you ride the tough times with the club you'd love to turn it around. I'd love to stay on and have a couple of injury-free seasons and try to achieve something special at this joint. That's what I'd love to do, but that's out of my hands.
"It's up to the club and what direction they want to go. I'm respectful of that and not putting any pressure on at the moment."
With Canterbury currently struggling, a win against the Broncos on Saturday night could see the Bulldogs move off the bottom of the ladder.
Foran wants to help turn the tide for his club after watching an emotional Broncos team after their loss to the Warriors.
"You could see the emotional toll it was taking on those guys and I really felt for them, as I feel for our footy club," Foran said.
"They're trying really hard to turn it around, like us. They're trying to play the best footy they can and they're not too far off. You've got to be at your absolute best to get a win in this competition and that's where we're failing as well.
"We want to turn it around and we're desperate to. We're trying as hard as we can, but we're not just able to get it done and come up with the right play at the right time. That's something we've got to challenge ourselves to get better at because we're running out of time."
Foran dislocated his finger against the Rabbitohs last week and could be a race against time for him to be fit for this weekend's clash.
In previous years the Bulldogs won more than they lost when Kieran Foran was playing, so what has gone wrong with the team this year? On paper they look a good team, but it’s not happening on the field.
Player sackings and injuries haven’t helped and one of last years young guns Lachlan Lewis seems to be out of favour. The Dogs definitely need some new players and hopefully Luke Thompson’s arrival will have a positive effect on the team.
If Kieran Foran remains injury free for the rest of this season I think there is a strong chance that he will play with the Dogs again in 2021, even if it’s on a reduced contract.