New Zealand skipper, Kieran Foran, admits he will have to be at his best if he is to outfox Manly half-back partner, Daly Cherry-Evans, in Saturday’s World Cup final against Australia.
The pair recently guided the Sea Eagles to the NRL Grand Final but they will be on opposite sides in the clash at Old Trafford, as the Kiwis look to upset the line betting by beating their Tasman rivals and retaining the world title.
Foran will undoubtedly start the game in the halves alongside Shaun Johnson with Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston likely to be chosen to orchestrate the Kangaroos in the early stages.
However, after impressing in the group stages and knockout rounds, Cherry-Evans is almost guaranteed to be named amongst the Australian substitutes and will give Tim Sheens’ men another dimension off the bench.
The battle between the halfbacks is always huge in the outcome of matches and betting fans know that Johnson and Foran will have to be at their best if New Zealand are to retain their title on Saturday evening.
The Kiwi skipper admits he is worried about Cherry-Evans knowledge of his game and says he will be doing his best to outwit his great friend when they come face to face at Old Trafford.
“If anyone knows my game, it’s him. We talk about footie almost every day when we’re back at training in Manly,” he told reporters.
“He would know the strengths and weaknesses of my game better than anyone so I’m sure he’ll be letting the cat out of the bag and telling them everything he knows about me. I’ve got to be prepared for that and I guess show some variation to what he expects.”
