Folau still learning: Sheedy
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Greater Western Sydney coach Kevin Sheedy says Israel Folau’s struggles on Saturday were related to education, not a lack of effort.
GWS’s Manuka Oval clash with Melbourne was one of Folau’s darkest days since leaving the NRL to join the AFL’s 18th club.
He registered just three disposals, three hitouts and gave away a free kick in the Giants’ 25-point loss.
But according to the likes of Kevin Bartlett, who sits on the league’s rules committee, of far greater concern was Folau’s body language.
He looked devoid of even a skerrick of confidence.
“What’s disappointing is you would think 12 months down the track, he would be showing something,” Bartlett said while calling the game for radio station SEN.
“Today he showed nothing. Today they have played a man short.”
Former Geelong forward Cameron Mooney was similarly critical.
Folau was shifted to defence in the last term, where he collected his first kick which was greeted with bronx cheers from the fans.
It was a lifetime away from winning rugby league games for Queensland and Australia with his own slick set of hands and explosive vertical leap.
Sheedy said Folau was still learning the game and and took heart from the success that Sydney’s Canadian import Mike Pyke is enjoying this season.
“It’s taken a guy like Pyke four years. And everybody here, particularly people that follow all the codes, expect a person to be a superstar straight away,” Sheedy said.
“Well it doesn’t happen.
“Pyke went under the radar for four years before he made it.
“Izzy cops a battering, because people like to write those sort of stories.
“He’s still learning. I put him into the backline and he wasn’t that bad.”
The game was arguably Folau’s best chance yet to make a name for himself in GWS’s forward line, with talented teammates Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron both missing due to injury.
© AAP 2013The Crowd Says (18) | Page 1 of Comments
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August 19th 2012 @ 8:03am
Red Block said | August 19th 2012 @ 8:03am | Report comment
Maybe he’s being weighed down by all the money in his pockets.
How ridiculous that a player with fast twitch fibres, who relied on strength and power to dominate his opponents, now looks like a marathon runner.
It is poor use of his prowess and a lack of understanding of his strengths that is seeing perform so poorly.
They should rebuild the $4 million man and make him faster and stronger and turn him into a power forward.
If his opponent runs off him and get touches up the ground, then so be it. He’ll cause enough damage going the other way to counter act this.
At least then opposition players may fear him instead of pity him as they are now.
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August 19th 2012 @ 8:51am
Lux said | August 19th 2012 @ 8:51am | Report comment
Doesn’t look interested.
His heart isn’t in it.
No work ethic, no game sense, no hunger for the contest, no determination, no grit, nothing.
August 19th 2012 @ 8:52am
Lux said | August 19th 2012 @ 8:52am | Report comment
Karmichael has all of this in spades.
A case of one out of two ain’t bad.
August 19th 2012 @ 9:14am
Brewski said | August 19th 2012 @ 9:14am | Report comment
Did not see the game, but some peoples body language when out of form is not flash, Fraser Gehrig springs to mind.
From what i see though, Folau and Hunt are 2 different kettles of fish, one seems way mentally stronger than the other.
August 19th 2012 @ 5:42pm
Mike said | August 19th 2012 @ 5:42pm | Report comment
The party is over, the bloke is never going to make it. I agree with Kevin Bartlett, GWS may as well have played with 17 he was that bad. Sheedy has got to stop spinning and tell the truth about his performances, at this stage he’d be lucky to make the second 18. As for Hunt: he wouldn’t make the the top grade for any club other than GWS and the Suns but at least would be a fair reserve grader.
August 19th 2012 @ 9:36pm
mick h said | August 19th 2012 @ 9:36pm | Report comment
my mail is he will be back in rugby league and a bloke called ricky stuart is calling regulary
August 19th 2012 @ 11:07pm
Christo the Daddyo said | August 19th 2012 @ 11:07pm | Report comment
Mike, that’s hard on Hunt. He’s improved enormously in his second year. Not a star AFL player by any means, but perfectly competent.
I wonder whether the problem with Folau is that he (or the coaches) don’t really know where to play him. As he’s not settled anywhere he always looks positionally lost. Sheets has a good point about Pyke though, but I wonder whether either Folau or the Giants have the required patience to match Pyke and the Swans…
August 19th 2012 @ 11:17pm
allblackfan said | August 19th 2012 @ 11:17pm | Report comment
worth noting that the Wallabies have copied the All Blacks and started drafting AFL expertise into their training sessions (Roos help them last week).
At last year’s Rugby World Cup, the All Blacks were conspicuously excellent under the high ball, previously a weakness in the new zealand game. Former Hawk/Swan Mick Byrne was responsible for all this; the ABs run AFL training drillis at practice sessions (primary with `marking’ the high ball) to teach players how to catch the `bomb’ (straight up, straight down) kicks
August 20th 2012 @ 8:58am
Brewski said | August 20th 2012 @ 8:58am | Report comment
Mick Byrne has been with the A/B for a long time on and off, however i find it strange that the Wallabys don’t utilise him !!.
August 20th 2012 @ 1:04pm
allblackfan said | August 20th 2012 @ 1:04pm | Report comment
I think it’s because he’s too affiliated with the ABs now (commercial confidentility and all that) although Japan used him at the RWC last year.
Wallabies called up Paul Roos last week and they were noticeably better under the bombs on the weekend (although that whole `catching’ concept still seems to puzzle them!!):-)
August 20th 2012 @ 7:20am
Myles said | August 20th 2012 @ 7:20am | Report comment
You should all be ashamed at yourself for panning some bloke who’s just trying to have a crack. Surely you can’t expect him to come into the game and instantly be a superstar, just because he’s good at some other sport that’s, to put it mildly, much easier. I think the biggest problem with Folau’s development is Sheedy’s reluctancy to develop him. Sure, when GWS put Folau on the field, it is like playing 17 agianst 18. But that’s what it was like for the Gold Coast last year, when they were playing Karmichael Hunt. In order to develop him, he has to get experience within the match. Sheedy also needs to know where Folau will play, should he continue on the next four or five years. He can’t expect him to be productive just throwing him in a new position every once in a while. I think Folau can make a top-shelf ruckman. He’s big, in every sense of the word, strong, athletic and posses a great jump. While these skills also suggest he can play forward, I wouldn’t try him there as much yet, as his kicking and knowledge of the game isn’t quite up to it yet. I think Folau can become a great ruckman in a year or so, if both the Giants and himself are commited to it.
August 21st 2012 @ 8:58am
langou said | August 21st 2012 @ 8:58am | Report comment
I don’t think anyone was expecting him to be a superstar but you have good reason to expect that a bloke playing at the highest level being paid millions of dollars may be capable of getting a kick every now and then.
August 20th 2012 @ 8:30am
Lucan said | August 20th 2012 @ 8:30am | Report comment
Did anyone ask Sheedy what the difference in pay packet is between Pyke and Folau? Embarassing to bring Pyke into the debate at all.
Tear up the existing contract and sign Falou as a development player if you’re serious, Sheeds.
August 20th 2012 @ 9:45am
Australian Rules said | August 20th 2012 @ 9:45am | Report comment
“Tear up the existing contract”
Yes that sounds both commercially minded AND legal.
August 21st 2012 @ 7:31am
Lucan said | August 21st 2012 @ 7:31am | Report comment
Tongue in cheek suggestion.
August 20th 2012 @ 10:44am
GCS said | August 20th 2012 @ 10:44am | Report comment
The money has got nothing to do with it. Sheedy is referring to the amount of time that each player has been playing the game.
August 20th 2012 @ 3:00pm
Pot Stirrer said | August 20th 2012 @ 3:00pm | Report comment
I think the AFL will let him out of his contract on compassionate grounds before xmas. It would be a win win situation.
August 20th 2012 @ 3:01pm
Myles said | August 20th 2012 @ 3:01pm | Report comment
No it certinaly wouldn’t be