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When former Wallaby lock and respected banker Roger Davis was appointed chairman of the Waratahs board last August and Michael Cheika was named Waratahs coach the following month, the future looked bright for the beleaguered Tahs.
Two very switched-on, and very capable rugby men of standing.
That belief copped a hammering yesterday when it was announced code-hopper Israel Folau had signed with the Waratahs for a year, turning his back on Parramatta’s NRL deal.
That makes his CV read Broncos in 2011, GWS in 2012, and Waratahs in 2013: three vastly different codes in as many years.
Has Folau any integrity, any loyalty, any sense of belonging? Or is he just chasing the big buck?
The Waratahs have fallen for the old three-card trick. Some are saying it’s a coup to sign Folau.
It would be a coup if the Waratahs signed Billy Slater, Greg Inglis, Johnathan Thurston, or Cooper Cronk. Any one of the four would be something to crow about.
Go back to the early 2000s when Lote Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor, and Mat Rogers switched from rugby league to rugby to become dual internationals.
Only Tuqiri turned out to be a good buy. There was no loss when Sailor and Rogers said goodbye and returned to league.
Folau has signed for only one year, which begs the question: why?
Have the Socceroos made an offer for 2014 so Folau can make it four codes in four seasons?
Bad call Waratahs, you will live to regret believing in a serial code-hopper. Don’t try to compare Folau with Sonny Bill Williams, who made it as a quality All Black after walking out on the Bulldogs.
Chalk and cheese.
Israel Folau is behind the eight-ball even before he runs out in that coveted blue jersey.
It’s a long way back from there, as Roger Davis and Michael Cheika will find out soon enough.