Folau to ‘brain’ AFL: Sheedy
By Adrian Warren, 12 Jul 2012
- Tagged:
- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, gsw giants, Israel Folau, Kevin Sheedy
Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy says Israel Folau will definitely stay with the Giants in 2013 and predicts the former rugby league star will “absolutely brain” the AFL next year.
Folau will return to the team on Sunday against Adelaide in Sydney after being sidelined by a hamstring issue for several weeks.
Sheedy was absolutely adamant Folau will still be with the Giants in 2013 despite continued speculation of a return to rugby league and his struggle to adapt to AFL.
Used primarily as a forward, he has kicked 1.5 in seven games.
“He will be playing (this weekend) and he’ll be playing next year, too,” Sheedy said on Wednesday.
“He’ll probably play really well from here on until the end of the season and then absolutely brain them next year and David Parkin can go and have a cappuccino in Carlton and relax,” he added, in reference to the AFL legend who has been a vocal critic of Folau’s form.
Sheedy was able to smile about comments from media personality and former rugby league star Matthew Johns, urging Folau to return to the 13-a-side game.
“I like Matty Johns – Matty Johns is a character. I just can’t believe that he hasn’t written a letter saying ‘thanks for getting Izzy out of the Queensland State of Origin team’!
“He mustn’t write letters!
“If he had have thanked me, I might have got Johnathan Thurston or someone like that and really got NSW over the line.”
Folau might not get to play alongside boom youngsters Jeremy Cameron and Jonathon Patton on the Giants forward line this weekend, but Sheedy said it would happen at some stage this season.
“I’m not quite sure Patton will play (this weekend), because he’s a player that’s missed a pre-season and hasn’t played a lot of footy but, at some stage this year, they will all play (together),” Sheedy said.
He revealed he was poised to blood even more youngsters over the closing weeks of the Giants inaugural AFL campaign.
“We’ll play another three or four first-gamers in the next month, so we’ll nearly play every player on the Giants list,” Sheedy said.
“We’ll probably play 35 players in the end and that’s a significant pathway for the success of the future of this club.”
He was delighted Rising Star favourite Cameron was cleared by the tribunal of a striking charge.
“The club did a magnificent job to go down to Melbourne to put on the table that this player really didn’t harm anybody. It was clumsy – there was no doubt about that,” Sheedy said.
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (15) | Page 1 of Comments
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- AFL, Greater Western Sydney, gsw giants, Israel Folau, Kevin Sheedy
July 12th 2012 @ 10:54am
Pot Stirrer said | July 12th 2012 @ 10:54am | Report comment
I doubt that he will return to league, He has changed his body significantly that i would think he would need at least a year back in league to return to the form he had prior to leaving, and as an outside back hes not going to influence a teams win loss ratio so much that i doubt clubs would see him seriously as a good buy unless he came relativley cheaply. So to walk away from what hes earning currently, well i doubt to many could. Maybe hed do better at the Swans in a winning culture, they could use him in short bursts of the interchange bench.
July 12th 2012 @ 12:30pm
Ian Whitchurch said | July 12th 2012 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
Pot Stirrer,
Folau’s stats actually track pretty well with those of Nick Reidwolt in his first year.
He’s also been operating in a forward line without cover from o’hAilpin.
Here is the comparison between Reidwolt and Folau’s first seasons (hat tip to beta_condition on BF)
http://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_player_compare?tid1=15&pid1=1731&tid2=25&pid2=3638&type=A&fid1=P&fopt1=2007&fid2=S
July 12th 2012 @ 1:03pm
Aware said | July 12th 2012 @ 1:03pm | Report comment
Sheedy talks a good story but I’m sure he knows deep down that the Gwombats are finished before they’ve even begun. They’re unwanted in Sydney and are likely to be percentage fodder for good teams for years to come. I mean, 22,000 at the olympic stadium for the great “derby” with the Swans was a joke. The Swans are ok and are all Sydney needs in terms of aussie rules teams, so long as they continue to win their fair share.
July 12th 2012 @ 3:38pm
GCS said | July 12th 2012 @ 3:38pm | Report comment
We know you don’t really believe that, so don’t know why you bother even writing it.
July 12th 2012 @ 2:21pm
JVGO said | July 12th 2012 @ 2:21pm | Report comment
‘I could have bought Jonathon thurston’…what a jerk Sheedy is.
July 12th 2012 @ 4:14pm
GCS said | July 12th 2012 @ 4:14pm | Report comment
It’s a joke JVGO. He is joking about helping NSW in SOO by buying the gun Queensland players.
July 12th 2012 @ 11:54pm
JVGO said | July 12th 2012 @ 11:54pm | Report comment
The guy is an AFL figure in NSW for Chrissakes. He has a RL player who was born and grew up in NSW and played Origin for Qld in his AFL team. The guy is nothing but a fool. Showing constant contempt for everything associated with NSW is definitely dumb for someone in his position, although obviously sincere.
July 13th 2012 @ 8:39am
The_Wookie said | July 13th 2012 @ 8:39am | Report comment
hes showing that some people lack a sense of humour thats for sure
July 13th 2012 @ 3:48pm
JVGO said | July 13th 2012 @ 3:48pm | Report comment
Wookie I think as a respected chronicler of AFL history you might start compiling a list of dumbarse stuff that Sheedy has said and has made him look like an utter fool in the eyes of Sydney people.
Off the top of my head there is the Hindy comment, then advocating a 3rd Southern (and probably 4th AFL) team in Sydney (the Engadine embryos maybe), the bridge clash thing, the idea that WS begins immediately you exit the cross city tunnel, this Thurston thing, countless statements regarding izzy etc. It is seemingly every time the guy opens his mouth he puts his foot in it.
He has become synonymous with big mouthed sporting stupidity among Sydney sports fans. the guy has no idea.
July 13th 2012 @ 4:36pm
micka said | July 13th 2012 @ 4:36pm | Report comment
Sydney’s just catching up late JVGO.
Us Mexicans have been putting up with him for what seem’s like eons. You should really feel lucky.
Mind you for all the hate he gets he is getting his name in the papers and on boards etc…
Like him or not he gets it done.
July 13th 2012 @ 5:18pm
Punter said | July 13th 2012 @ 5:18pm | Report comment
Love him or hate him or indifferent to him, you would find most people north of the Murray would only have a very vague idea of him as a AFL identity.
But this is why the AFL is the best run competition in the Australia, putting Sheedy up here with a few of his off the hip comments & paying Folau all that money to keep him in the media on whether Folau would come back to League has kept GWS being discussed at all up here.
July 12th 2012 @ 5:14pm
Australian Rules said | July 12th 2012 @ 5:14pm | Report comment
Haha…isn’t he just fantastic!
Sheeds – he’s certainly the best at it.
July 13th 2012 @ 8:44am
Punter said | July 13th 2012 @ 8:44am | Report comment
No doubt ‘Sheed’s does a great job in getting his team in the media, that his team cannot in NSW.
July 13th 2012 @ 9:52am
Redb said | July 13th 2012 @ 9:52am | Report comment
What a bunch of soft sooks RL fans are.
July 12th 2012 @ 7:28pm
yewonk said | July 12th 2012 @ 7:28pm | Report comment
sheedy is a bit irritating but tom harley does a great job in nsw for afl.