New Zealand honour retiring footy great Kieran Foran with heartwarming gesture, as Titans star bows out on his own terms

Heartwarming scenes unfolded after New Zealand claimed a 36-14 victory during Sunday’s Pacific Cup final, as retiring great Kieran Foran was given a fitting send-off by his Kiwi team-mates in the changing rooms.

The rugby league veteran played his last-ever professional game today and signed off in style, inspiring his side to a brilliant comeback victory after the Kiwis went 14-6 down at half=time at the CommBank Stadium.

Foran, 35, who will now take up a coaching role with his former side Manly, announced that he’d be retiring earlier this year, after an incredible career in rugby league.

While injuries and personal issues had threatened to bring an early end to his time in the NRL, Foran has battled through and today called time on his own terms.

Standing in the changing rooms after the match, the former Gold Coast Titans star was circled by his team-mates, who performed a haka for him on his final game, while family, friends and team staff watched on.

Foran, who today won his 34th cap for New Zealand following a 16-year career in the black and white, reflected on what it means to end his career on such a high.

‘Over the moon, I can’t believe it the boys just dug so deep. I knew they would. We’ve had a really good campaign,’ he told Channel Nine's Phil Gould. 

‘I wanted to come in here and try and finish on a high. It’s been a really tough year and to come in here and play with this bunch of boys and do it for our country was just the cherry on top.’

Kiwi lock Erin Clark was brilliant and Naufahu Whyte was all-powerful up front, with both helping New Zealand outlast Samoa in the second half.

Dylan Brown also set up three tries, taking man-of-the-match honours and again showing what he can bring to Newcastle when he joins the Knights next year on the NRL's richest ever contract.

It has not been lost on Kiwi players through this tournament that they have almost become the forgotten country in international rugby league.

With all the focus on the rise of Samoa and Tonga in recent years, New Zealand have almost slipped out of the conversation as World Cup contenders for next year.

But Sunday was a clear reminder that Stacey Jones' men should not be overlooked, especially with New Zealand having also beaten Australia 30-0 in the final two years ago.

Prior to the match, Foran had also opened up on why he has held off retiring for such a long time.

'The reason I've been hanging on to my footy career for as long as I have was the dream of hopefully winning another premiership. But this (playing for the Kiwis) is the next best thing,’ he said prior to the match.

'The reality is for me it could have ended so many times. Through all the injuries, setbacks, adversity and dips in form.

'But I just feel like this is hopefully a reward for having hung in there for so long.

'It's an example of actually pushing through times when they're really difficult and really tough, because there is sunshine at the end of it.'

The 35-year-old’s story is one of perseverance and resilience, with a spate of injuries sending him into a downward spiral.

He would undergo a whopping 17 surgeries during his career, with his absence from the footy pitch taking its toll on his mental health. He turned to alcohol and gambling to cope, with his mental health spiralling. At one stage, he even contemplated taking his own life.

But Foran would bounce back. He credits much of his recovery to his wife, Karina, claiming she helped him recover from that dark period.

The former Manly star, who won a premiership with the club in 2011, would go on to play 318 NRL games. He’d enjoy spells at the Eels, Warriors, Bulldogs and Titans and in his spare time, Foran would work as a mental health advocate, becoming an ambassador for the Top Blokes Foundation.

The Ken Stephen Man of the Year medallist would also go on to launch a campaign called Logan’s Legacy, in honour of Karina’s late son, Logan, who tragically passed away when he was 20.

The charity aims to help provide mental health prevention and intervention initiatives to help young people struggling with mental health issues.

After outlasting Samoa and thrashing Tonga to make this year's final, the Kiwis had to do it the hard way in the decider.

Both teams' packs battered each other early on, with Payne Haas and Francis Molo going at the Kiwis in an engrossing first half.

It was also Samoa who took their chances early, with Jarome Luai sending Brian To'o over for one try and Simi Sasagi claiming a 70-metre intercept for another.

But the signs were there for New Zealand, with Keano Kini dangerous at fullback and Whyte trampling defenders at will at some stages.

And while Whyte scored the Kiwis' only first-half try when Clark went to the line and drew in a defender, the floodgates opened after the break.

Foran and Dylan Brown combined to send over Isaiah Papali'i and reduce the margin to 14-12, before a penalty goal brought New Zealand level.

‘We weren’t too rattled to be honest, they held us up around five or six times. Incredible scramble,’ Foran said on his side's comeback. 

‘We just needed to stick to the game plan and the process and try and eventually get them to drop off and they did. But we felt like we were still piercing some holes through them. And that’s what we spoke about at half-time.

‘We just needed to stick to the game plan and the process and try and eventually get them to drop off and they did.'

Clark capped a superb year when he barged through three defenders to make it 20-14, before a James Fisher-Harris charge created the space for Brown to send Casey McLean over.

And by the time Papali'i and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad crossed in the final five minutes, the Kiwis were rocking and Foran was going out a winner.

"It's hard to believe. The boys dug so deep, I knew they would," Foran said.

"I wanted to come in here and try and finish on a high. It's been a tough year (at Gold Coast).

"But to come here and do it with this bunch of boys, it's just the cherry on top."

Samoa were gutsy despite having next to no ball after the break and will remain a threat after next year's World Cup, having reached the final in 2022.

But New Zealand have again proven they should not be discounted, with Jahrome Hughes to return for next year's tournament behind one of the world's best packs.

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