Signing Israel Folau is a bad call

I was doing some 'subscription management' and came across this discussion. I wonder if Lordy has reviewed his position?

True David. Rogers made a cardinal sin with that kick. But he was the mainstay of the Waratah's backline. They have never been any good since he left. Also I think you will find Falou left the Broncos in 2010 & made his debut with GWS when they played in some second tier comp in 2011.

Tommy, I hope I haven't started something inadvertently. I was pretty sure I'd read somewhere that Folau had played Union and League as a kid. When I read his Wikipedia page I read his early years section to mean that he was spotted by Storm scouts while playing for the Qld Rugby Union U-15's side. The exact quote on the website says "Queensland Schoolboys squad in the Australian Under-15 Championships" it then goes on to comment that he also played league for the Goodna Eagles. Given the also played league comment I assumed the first comment about Under-15's was a Union reference. I've seen someone else clarify that he was in the League U-15 side. So anyone citing me as a reference has to take my comment with a grain of salt. I am no longer sure if he played Union or not. I've since done a little further digging and it says he was playing at school for Marsden State High when he got selected for the QLD schools team - I've checked the school's website and they run a rugby league program not a union one - so I am more and more convinced that my initial read that he had been in the Union U-15s side is wrong.

Just wanted to agree with the posters saying Wendell did ok in Rugby. He played 37 tests for his country. It's not like he was crap like Tahu and got the boot... Just a question I would like to pose to the numerous knowledgable types on The Roar, can anyone find a skerrick of evidence that Folau played Rugby as a kid. It seems to be a common theme amongst Rugby threads and the Roar is the only place where i have read this "fact".

Have you actually watched Folau play? He played on the edges of Lockyer, Cronk, Thurston at Storm, Broncos and QLD. He was a benefactor of playing outside some of the most talented league players in history. Folau is good at finishing off a try. Nothing more. To say he is one of those "most natural gifted rugby league players of his generation" would suggest you've never actually watched him. Nabbing a few bombs and barging some close to the line tries does not make you supreme or the most gifted. He had no ball skills, no great running ability or anything that would separate him from anyone else. His body shape and leap were the only qualities that really set him apart. Sonny Bill Williams or Jarryd Hayne would be good examples of the most naturally gifted players of their generation - body size and skill-wise.

So true mate, Israel is one of the good guys, he is a genuine bloke when he left League he said it was for the money, I'm a Broncos fan and i accepted it, he is just a young man who could have been earning silly money playing AFL but he left because he wasn't enjoying it. I didn't accept it when KHunt left because he said it was just for a new challenge and had nothing to do with the money, when of course the money was a major incentive. I for one am excited to see Israel sign for the Tahs and i will be renewing my Membership now.

Because he is a supreme athlete, possibly one of the most natural gifted rugby league players of his generation. He has everything you need for Rugby League size, skill and speed. I can actually see him doing very well in Union for the Tahs, the only reason i'm annoyed by Roger Davis and Micheal Cheika is the fact that they only gave him a One year contract.

Oh that's right we live in an insular little island, did you see the forst letter of that acroym, it was a G.....global, yes here in Australia wasn't too bad(however i know of a number of people who were loyal employees who lost jobs), take a look at Europe, US and numerous other places.

+3

YEAH! How dare he put the financial interests of his family and community before some twisted sense of loyalty that fans of an inconsequential game have. How incredibly unChristian of him! For shame Folau, for shame!

And how is running around chasing a Sherrin fruitlessly for 12 months (his total disposals for last season was 80) doing his future career any good? (not to mention job satisfaction) I reckon his management have told him to make a the call to drop dollars short-term to build his profile in a sport that he can actually play, with a view to cleaning up on salary + endorsements in the next few years. A good, Christian, clean-living lad like Izzy would front Swisse perfectly - and with Punter out of the picture and O'Connor MIA, he could clean up. The PR is doing him a world of good also. Pissing off Stewart was a master-stroke!

Agreed on Rogers - he was just killing it one season, before getting injured. Controlling games with his evasive skills and his left boot. I remember the game he got injured. I was there. We were up by miles against a SA team, and I was thinking "got Rogers off now, he's our most important player". He then gets badly injured with 5 to go, and is never the same again.

How is $250K for 6 months better than $1.5m for 12 months? I hope you're not an accountant. if it wa solely a money decision, Folau would have stayed in AFL or gone off to France or Japan to play rugby.

cant argue there nos and such a sad state of affairs when u have to rely on a leagie to fire up your team and supporters. good luck tahs

Just posted a reply further up the page to David's piece about Rogers and other leagueies. In summary Rogers was an excellent convert. Walker - what a fine example, well done! In response to your last line though - Tahu?

That's a pretty silly justification of someone's worth - one split second decision - which you could argue about both ways anyway. Come on! Mat Rogers made an excellent contribution to rugby. He converted quickly, didn't go for silly stuff, had a great 'football' brain and had an amazing ability to squeeze through heavy traffic and keep the ball alive - rather like JOC today. Shows how some slighter/smaller built players can cleverly use their strength to better effect. He was also one of the guys who stepped up when we had a 5/8 crisis in Australia - remember?! Larkam must have been injured or on the way out and Giteau was yet to get going. We tried all sorts of people, Nathan Grey for example who made an admirable effort (that's the sort of bloke he is) but was obviously playing out of position. There was even a push to recruit Andrew Johns - jeezus ch! By far the best fist of the position was made in my opinion by Rogers and I think he should have been given a lot more time there. He was a tremendous loss and one of the people you just felt good about which ever code he suceeded in. As for Folau, let's give him a go. It's going to be a huge step up but let's not shoot him down before he tries. SBW had time in France + a season in the ITM Cup before he started in Super Rugby. Yes, he is an athelte to be compared with WIlliams, there are definitely similarities there. Comparing him with Cooper and his antics is just unfair. Folau said his heart wasn't in AFL which pissed off a lot of people. Your heart is either in something or it's not in something but it takes a lot of courage to admit something like that publicly. Your assesment of Wendel is probably more accurate, but again he came at a lull in Australian Rugby where there weren't too many options. Although he was a great runner he had huge gaps in his game (the game was developing at that time and players needed much larger skill sets, not just the ability to finish a try). Back three play, clearance kicks, diffusing kicks, turning and chasing were not his forte.

I think it's a great signing. Glad to see such a talented young Aussie athlete turning to rugby union. If only more would follow him. Let's hope the negativity from rugby's constant complainers doesn't drive him away. Good luck Izzy! And welcome.

well written of course the various haters cannot accept it. The leagiues who some stupid reason feel betrayed when he was not in their sport anyway. The rugby guys who are too elitist and deride anyone coming across, or if they do they have this delusional idea that they must play club rugby for a couple of years to earn their stripes.

Come on Mango Jack - 250k for six months work playing a sport that he at least has a clue about? Is a dollars decision; he wants to rebuild his stock price and give a few ARL clubs the chance to build him into their salary caps for the 2014 season. The Eels would have struggled to give him the deal he wanted at such short notice. He is no nonce is Izzy, and nor are his management. And he is only 23, so has heaps of time.

I believe that NSW will rightly assume it's place at the top of the Australian rugby tree. in 2013. Queensland's powder puff pack will be found wanting. After two years of success, they will revert to their rightful position at the bottom of the competition, where they of course languished for the majority of the last decade. Jiggles will move to Sydney with FormerOpenside and become flatmates, ultimately becoming members of the Waratahs and cheering on Folau and company onto great things. Jiggles will be asked to take down the poster of Michael Cheika on his wall due to a breach of the lease, but that will not stop the love.