Kearney has eye on Manly half Kieran Foran

Manly chief executive Graham Lowe will not be the only New Zealander with Kiwis connections keeping tabs on Kieran Foran when the Sea Eagles play the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League (NRL) tomorrow night.

Current national coach Stephen Kearney will be hoping the 19-year-old halfback continues his development after being given the first opportunity to succeed Manly playmaker Matt Orford.

With the annual Anzac test looming at Melbourne on May 7, Kearney confronts a familiar dilemma - filling the problematic halves positions.

"That's always the concern," Kearney said of finding a halfback to match up against the Kangaroos' Jonathan Thurston.

"If you look at the (NRL) competition now, in terms of the very good ones they're few and far between."

And Kearney's task has already been complicated by Nathan Fien's broken ankle on Friday night - an injury that sidelines the St George Illawarra utility for at least five months.

The Australian-born former New Zealand Warrior has played both halfback and five-eighth against his birthplace in the one-off test routinely dominated by the Kangaroos.

Foran made his Kiwis debut in last year's Four Nations - albeit at centre against England - and is among the leading candidates to assume the mantle associated with the legendary Stacey Jones.

He faces his potential scrumbase partner for the Anzac test - Wests Tigers five-eighth Benji Marshall - when round one closes at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Foran has been selected ahead of another promising Manly junior Trent Hodkinson as Orford's heir apparent, with Kearney saying a solid start to the season for the Aucklander would be welcome as he sifts through a limited number of candidates.

"We'll see how the early rounds go. He's a young lad with a fair bit of talent and potential," Kearney said.

Since Jones ended his 46-test career in 2006, the Kiwis have struggled to find an adequate replacement and this year's will definitely come from the NRL.

Kearney reiterated players would not be brought down from the English Super League because their unrealistic travel schedule and limited preparation time.

"In 2008 Thomas Leuluai arrived and trained straight after 24 hours of travel. It's just too tough."

Apart from Foran, the form of the Bulldogs' five-eighth Ben Roberts would also be tracked.

Kearney said he was concerned about future depth in the position after a camp for potential Junior Kiwis was held in Sydney last weekend.

"We had loads of front rowers, back rowers, big centres and wingers but not many halves .... that's always going to be the issue."

Kearney said another camps identifying future Australian-based internationals would be held in Melbourne in the lead-up to the Anzac test and later in the season in Queensland.

"There were seven clubs not represented (in Sydney). We're looking to organise something for young Kiwi kids in the under-18s and under-20s."

A host of former and current internationals attend the camp to outline the Kiwis history and culture for players who have spent the bulk of their lives growing up in Australia.

- NZPA