- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
You don’t need to be a sports expert to know that Israel Folau is a talented rugby league player.
He was born in Minto in Sydney’s south-west to Tongan parents, but the family moved to Brisbane while he was still a schoolboy. He grew up playing rugby league, and with his power and pace was soon selected for representative honours, culminating in playing for the Queensland and Australian Under-15s.
His obvious athletic ability and strength didn’t go unnoticed by Melbourne Storm talent scouts. He made his debut for the Melbourne Storm senior team as a 17 year old, and went on to score a record number of tries for a debutant in the NRL.
The kid could certainly play rugby league, no doubt about it, and he also picked up the Dally M Rookie of the Year award and an NRL premiership ring in his very first year with the Storm, though the premiership was taken away from him after salary cap breaches by the Storm’s management.
In that same memorable first year Folau also became the youngest ever player to represent the Australian national rugby league team at just 18 years of age, passing the previous record set by Brad Fittler in 1990.
Folau’s legendary status in rugby league circles, especially in Queensland, was secured the very next year when he made another remarkable debut at 18 years of age for the Queensland State of Origin side.
He not only helped the Maroons win the series, but also took out the man-of-the-match award in Game 3, aided by two spectacular try-scoring ‘AFL-style’ marks.
He is still the youngest player to debut for both the Kangaroos and in State of Origin.
After a couple more seasons of rugby league with the Brisbane Broncos, Israel surprisingly decided to abandon the NRL and sign up for AFL in the middle of the 2010 NRL season.
The AFL had beaten rival rugby union and rugby league codes to secure the signature of the young 21-year-old league superstar, who joined the Greater Western Sydney team on a three-year, $4.2 million deal.
The move angered a lot of sports followers, and rugby league fans called on the NRL to ban Folau from playing State of Origin or any NRL games ever again. To their credit, the administrators didn’t bow to the calls.
The signing of Folau also angered some AFL fans, officials and players. Andrew Demetriou, the head of the AFL, was forced to write personally to every AFL club and AFL player defending the recruitment and pay rate of a rugby league convert.
The value of the converts to the AFL were due to their “separate marketing and promotional contracts with the AFL to promote our game in Queensland and New South Wales in particular. Their contracts are key components of our marketing investment in these regions.”
GWS head coach also Kevin Sheedy defended the signing a player, saying he was determined to create a new market in Sydney, and source new stars from non-traditional pathways.
Once again, his argument focused on the marketing aspect and not the player’s AFL ability.
Recently GWS Giants coach Mark Williams said Folau should no longer be viewed as a “travelling sideshow”. This was based on Folau’s efforts in his first year in a lower grade AFL competition.
Williams said Folau’s development has been better than expected and he has vastly improved on the first time he played AFL.
The NAB Cup is only just around the corner, and that’s going to be a real test for Folau as to how far he’s come. GWS will launch their AFL season proper on March 24 against the Swans at ANZ Stadium, in a Sydney derby season opener.
Folau is no guaranteed starter, although Sheedy says that he will play. According to Sheedy, the coach wants his convert to kick as many as 30 goals in his debut season.
Folau and the GWS team face a difficult first season and Folau’s recruitment hasn’t led to a great influx of rugby league fans signing up for AFL memberships.
But Folau is a great athlete and competitor on the field and a well mannered young Christian off it, and will give as good an account of himself as he can.
In the end, if things don’t quite work out with AFL and GWS, he’ll still be a very talented rugby league player.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.