As Kieran Foran spent the off-season resting his battered body on the beaches of Bali, he quickly came to the realisation that he needed to change the way he played in the NRL.

The 20-year-old had just finished his first full season in first grade and his body was a wreck.

To go with the general aches and pains that naturally built up throughout the season, Foran was nursing a busted shoulder which ruled him out of New Zealand's successful Four Nations campaign.

And so he has made a conscious decision to stop running in front of opposition steamrollers.

"I think that's the key ... I need to learn when to pick my time really," he told AAP.

"One of my biggest problems is I try and put my body in front of guys that are 100 plus kilos and I need to remember that I'm only a five-eighth.

"If I do that, I suppose I won't get as many knocks and as many injuries, but I've also just got to build up the shoulder from here on in as well.

"I've (also) got to voice a lot more, I've got to take the responsibility there and lead (the senior) guys around."

Foran admitted it was difficult to sit back and watch as his Kiwi teammates celebrated their unlikely triumph over Australia in the Four Nations final, after Benji Marshall offloaded to Nathan Fien for the tournament-winning try.

And he's determined to be fit for future encounters, rather than patching up a broken body.

"I was a little bit disappointed that I wasn't there because the guys played so well and it was just an enormous effort to win that Four Nations," he said.

"But I was really pleased for them. It was tough to sit at home and watch it but hopefully I get my chance this year."

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