Injury woes cost Foran almost 50 games in five years

Canterbury are set to field a bargain-basement playmaking spine with an average of less than 20 games experience following Keiran Foran's latest devastating injury blow.

Foran is facing up to three months on the sidelines with an ankle injury sustained in the Bulldogs breakthrough win over Wests Tigers.

Foran will undergo surgery on a syndemosis injury this week, picked up scoring a first-half try in the 22-8 upset win over the Tigers.

The 28-year-old's recovery is slated for between 10-12 weeks, a blow the Bulldogs' already light NRL roster can ill-afford.

Former Knights half Jack Cogger shapes as Foran's replacement in the halves, with utility Nu Brown another option against Melbourne on Sunday.

A playmaking contingent of Cogger (20 games), Lachlan Lewis (12), Nick Meaney (6) and Jeremy Marshall-King (27) would tally just 65 NRL games between them on the game's most daunting road trip.

Storm skipper Cameron Smith (387 matches) alone boasts more than six times as many appearances as the Bulldogs spine, while Foran's 188 games and 10 years of first-grade experience will be sorely missed.

In the same breath, Foran's lucrative salary at Belmore covers at least three-quarters of the pay packets picked up by the rest of their spine.

Foran's latest injury could have happened to most any player, with the weight of a Wests Tigers defender falling on his right ankle believed to be the cause.

His most recent blow continues a wretched run for the Kiwi half, who had his first 2018 campaign with Canterbury cut short by back and foot injuries.

Long renowned as one of the toughest playmakers in the game, Foran has played 60 out of a possible 99 games since the start of 2015.

He has missed 35 of those through injury, while he was also absent for two games at Parramatta through personal leave and another two for the Warriors in 2017 with the NRL only clearing his contract to start two games into the season.

He has also missed several Test campaigns for New Zealand, last playing for his country in 2013 with injuries ruling him out of their most recent World Cup tilt two years ago and last year's UK tour.

Hamstring troubles that first started in his final year at Manly have plagued him through stints with the Eels, Warriors and Canterbury, while a shoulder reconstruction at Parramatta came amid serious off-field issues that saw Foran step away from the game.