It's official - Kieran Foran was a flop at the Warriors.
While new Warriors executive chairman Jim Doyle didn't use the F word - failure - he admits the signing of Foran had "definitely not worked the way we thought it would".
Doyle, who has just relinquished his job as club chief executive, blamed injuries and media speculation around Foran's future for the Kiwi pivot's below-par contributions.
After one patchy season for the Warriors, Foran has signed to play for the Bulldogs from next year.
"At the time we believed we made the right decision," Doyle told Newstalk ZB's Tony Veitch. "We got a world class player at a very low cost - we felt he would make the difference...add to the environment, help some of our young players.
"He's done some of that but he hasn't performed on the field. He'll be the first to admit that. He performed well at the start (but) he carried quite a lot of injuries for a lot of the year.
"His first two games he played exceptionally well, then all of a sudden there was massive speculation. We didn't make the top eight so the signing of him, no matter which way we look at it, has not been a success."
Foran came to the Warriors with a shoulder injury and under suspension by the NRL pending a psychological assessment, following a tumultuous period involving a drug overdose and gambling issues.
Doyle said: "All of a sudden there is this massive speculation...it's written in he newspaper that he's gone before he's even played a game. That stuff has an impact.
"It's written in the paper he has gone before he's even played a game. That stuff has an impact.
"We try and teach the players all the time - don't worry about things you can't control and you can't control the media.
"But they get messages from friends and family, and that stuff puts extra pressure on top of people. But he got a lot of injuries as well, and played very few games at 100 per cent."