"Kieran Foran stood down indefinitely, effective immediately" Andrew Voss

Being stood down in the NRL usually means that a player has done something a bit silly, whether it's tasting your own wee or appearing to shag a dog. That's what I pondered when I heard that Kieran Foran had been stood down by Parramatta ... Foran wouldn't do anything so silly though would he?

Foran has been battling personal issues, anything specific about those issues is for other news organisations to worry about. Our kiwi brother isn't too well, which sucks and a being stood down to handle those issues is a positive for Foran and in the long run it will be a positive for the Eels.

Right now though, this news stinks with the Anzac Test just around the corner. Especially after I had just done my Kiwis Pool, in which I highlighted that Foran would be re-united with Shaun Johnson after neither went to England late last year. I don't mind young halves being given the opportunity, but no one would argue that there's a better Kiwis halves combo than Foran x SJ7.

There's actually nothing better for me, as a kiwi NRL fan, than seeing young kiwi halves coming through into the NRL. We have historically struggled to establish a strong Kiwis halves combo, simply because we haven't had the talent and Foran's situation come less than a week after Te Maire Martin was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury. Martin could have been a chance to step in for Foran if he was healthy, it would have been a big call but it would have been nothing less than awesome to see Martin get a taste of Test match footy at a young age.
Ponder a SJ7 x Martin combo, yo.

With Martin out for the season and Benji Marshall not only out of favour but also injured, the likeliest combination is SJ7 x Thomas Leuluai. That's a mark of our depth as Leuluai is a very solid option in this sort of situation when the team just need a half to do their job and not stand on anyone else's toes.

The issue with starting SJ7 and Leuluai in the halves is that 3/4's of the Kiwis spine will be the same 3/4's of the Warriors spine ... Warriors who currently aren't very good. Issac Luke came out and got all dramatic by saying that he wouldn't pick himself, so ponder to yourself a Kiwis spine consisting of Luke, SJ7 and Leuluai who all play key roles in a struggling team.

Of course, the Kiwis are a different team and there's so much firepower in the Kiwis that you'd have to assume that they would raise the level of Luke, SJ7 and Leuluai. Playing behind a forward pack that could very well dominate a Kangaroos forward pack would make life a lot easier for any play-maker.

Stephen Kearney's other options are Peta Hiku, Kodi Nikorima and not actually picking a halves partner for SJ7. I have Hiku at fullback and Nikorima coming off the bench, I'd be fairly happy with Nikorima starting alongside SJ7 as Nikorima would let SJ7 take control of the game and then just add in his own spice when fit.

The idea of playing someone like Tohu Harris in the halves shouldn't be slept on, not because Harris would be a half - something he can do very easily - but because there's plenty of depth in our forwards and this would allow for another forward to come into the squad. We've got more ruthless forwards than we have players capable of doing a job as an international half.

While we all hope for the best with Foran, his situation has thrown the Kiwis team into a bit of a spin. Coach Kearney may already have his team locked in but he probably doesn't, which makes this weekend's footy extremely important for a number of players ... guys who aren't playing in the halves for their respective clubs but could feature as a Kiwis half.

It sucks for Foran and while it kinda sucks for the Kiwis, we will be treated to yet another example of the Kiwis' depth.