KIERAN Foran is playing with fire by returning to Sydney.

That was the suggestion from Warriors boss Jim Doyle, who says he hopes the Canterbury Bulldogs put the right support around the troubled Kiwis playmaker when he takes up a three-year contract with them from next season.

And former Aussie forward Mark Geyer — who faced tough times in his own playing career — has expressed surprise and concern about Foran’s decision to play for another Sydney club so soon after his 2016 collapse.

Doyle told the Radio Sport Breakfast that Foran’s close family, including his mother, wanted him to stay in Auckland for his own security and safety, but the player made the decision to be closer to his kids.

Foran came to the Warriors for the 2017 season after an emotional collapse and suicide attempt in 2016, while also dealing with an NRL investigation into his links with undesirable gambling elements in Sydney which led to him being suspended.

His career was basically in tatters, a serious shoulder injury among the many issues.

The rumour mill suggests he was on a yearly contract around $500,000 with the Warriors, and will get about double that per season at the Bulldogs.

Doyle said he was concerned about how Foran, who quit his Parramatta contract in 2016, would cope when he returned to Sydney.

He also revealed Foran’s family advised him not to return to Sydney and remain in Auckland next season.

“It’s not like we’re losing him to the Bulldogs because he wants to go to a better team or anything,” Doyle said.

“It’s pretty hard to compete with anyone when you’ve got kids at stake. We tried to make something happen because he enjoys it here, he wanted to stay here. His close family, his mum, and everyone else were telling him to stay here because it’s the right thing for him.

“Very few clubs wanted Kieran Foran and then he played two games and 16 clubs wanted Kieran Foran. I think we all know what sort of person he is and what sort of player he is. We’ve got him at a very low cost. He’s having a big influence on the environment and obviously that will only be for the one year, but he’s having a big influence on the young players.

He warned the Bulldogs to be vigilant not to allow Foran to fall off the rails again.

“Yes. Yes it is (a concern), but that’s something that we’ve talked about a lot,” he said.

“That’s something that he’ll no doubt continue to work with specific people over there and I’m sure the Bulldogs will put people around him.

“Certainly, he got himself into a pretty dark hole and not just over a year ago. From now it will be six months from when he goes back there and hopefully by then he’ll be much stronger and obviously learn from the past and not get back into that position.

“That’s one of the main reasons his family were keen for him to stay here as well. It’s unfortunate.”

Warriors coach Steve Kearney told Radio Sport’s Martin Devlin: “He was really broken and we are pleased with where he is at. I had a real concern for him.

“We exhausted every opportunity to make it work but totally respect when two young children are involved.”

Geyer told Radio Sport that Foran’s “life is back on a good track and it’s all to do with the New Zealand Warriors.

“There is a touch of surprise. We were hearing he was having second thoughts.

“It has been so beneficial for him. I hope he knows what he’s getting in to going back to Sydney.

“Being back in the fish bowl, it’s going to be interesting to see how he reacts to it. You’ve got to be surrounded by good people.

“I look at how he was last year...”

While many observers believed Foran always intended to return to Sydney after just one season with the Warriors, Doyle claimed the player had left the decision as long as possible in the hope he could remain with the Auckland club.

Foran had met with his ex-partner and their respective lawyers in Sydney last week, when he was in Australia for the Anzac test match in Canberra.

“Unfortunately they couldn’t come up with a solution,” Doyle said.

“Last week he was certainly keen to stay longer but only if he could work out something with his ex-partner in regards to the kids.”

Doyle and Kearney said they had made backstop moves in regards to seeking a new No. 6 but wasn’t clear on whether the Warriors would try to lure a player from another club.

Meanwhile, rugby league great Matthew Johns says Foran will have a huge impact on the Bulldogs’ emerging talents — especially on young playmaker Moses Mbye.

Johns told Triple M’s Grill Team Foran’s move will likely force Canterbury captain James Graham out of the club.

“The thing about it is, it’s one thing to let players go, but someone’s got to take those players off their hands,” Johns said.

“Next year James Graham’s on about $950,000 I believe, so they’ve got to free that up.

“It’s one thing to say to a club, ‘yeah we’re going to let James Graham go’ but I reckon at the moment there’s only one or two clubs — one of which is Newcastle, which I’ve said, who would say, OK we’re going to pay you that, in fact rather than pay you $950,000 we’re going to pay you $1.15m.”