Harley backs Folau’s AFL foray
By James Dampney, 17 Nov 2010 James Dampney is a Roar Pro
- Tagged:
- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, Israel Folau, Tom Harley
Two-time premiership winning defender Tom Harley believes Greater Western Sydney recruit Israel Folau will make a successful transition from rugby league superstar to AFL gun.
Folau was a key part of the launch for the AFL’s 18th club on Tuesday night, with the new team to be known as the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
Harley, who works for the AFL in NSW and helped some young Giants players earlier this year, was at the launch and while he hasn’t worked directly with Folau, he believes the 21-year-old will succeed in the sport.
“If I had any contribution whatsoever to Israel’s football development, I just think he’s a no-brainer to be in the first line of defence in the fullback line,” Harley told AAP.
“He’s got speed, he’s got height, he’s got strength, if he can’t sit on an opponent and be led to the ball and win the contest I’ll go home.
“And then you work your way up the ground and he’s obviously got great sporting pedigree and great aerial awareness so he could eventually move his way around the ground.
“But I’d start him at fullback. If you look at Daniel Merrett at Brisbane he was a league convert and just charged out of fullback and now he’s vice-captain of the Lions.
“I’d be very surprised if he couldn’t play a similar sort of role.”
Having never played the sport competitively, Folau cut a somewhat reluctant figure at the launch, where he was the main star of the evening along with coach Kevin Sheedy.
He knows his first and only task is to work hard every day to develop the kicking and handballing skills that are unique to Australian rules football.
“My first priority is to try to learn the game in order to get my skills up and be an elite AFL player,” he said.
“But that’ll take time and at the moment I’m just happy to be part of a new franchise and looking forward to the future.
“I can’t wait to get my kicking and handballing right and all the boys have been helping me out.
“Obviously my kicking is still a work in progress and it will take time just learning technique and everything that will help me later on.”
© AAP 2012Recommend this story.
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The Crowd Says (5) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, Israel Folau, Tom Harley
November 17th 2010 @ 8:20am
Hooplah said | November 17th 2010 @ 8:20am | Report comment
The way I learn’t to play our footy is to play loads of kick to kick and small sided games. If I was him, I would be roping in junior players to practice in small matches all the time. It teaches you to read the play(the most important part of footy) and how other player’s move.
With kick to kick, you have to do it running. A big difference from standing and kicking to running with it and kicking accurately.
Personally, I am not holding my breath on this fella. It is as likely as me making it to the PGA tour.
November 17th 2010 @ 11:06am
Bayman said | November 17th 2010 @ 11:06am | Report comment
I confess I have no idea how good Israel Folau will turn out to be as an AFL player. On the upside, though, he looked in good nick wearing the new jumper – at least, from the photographs I’ve seen.
Certainly he looked in better nick than the Bunnies new signing who, frankly, looked overweight – if not just plain fat.
November 17th 2010 @ 11:17am
JF said | November 17th 2010 @ 11:17am | Report comment
AFL employee backs AFL strategy- what a massive surprise.
November 17th 2010 @ 4:49pm
beaver fever said | November 17th 2010 @ 4:49pm | Report comment
Yes, fair point, but MOST people do look for the positives !!.
BTW i think Merritt was more of a volleyballer than league player.
He may initially get a few goals kicked on him, he needs to learn a lot of tricks at FB, which can only be learnt during actuall game time.
Maybe Mal Micheal like ?.
November 17th 2010 @ 1:03pm
Redb said | November 17th 2010 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Too early to know, he will need to unlearn quite a few skills and replace them with others.
Can he find the ball?