Israel Folau

[OnSong]

I can't believe posters on here think Folau and Hunt won't be able to make the conversion due to kicking.
Travis Cloke is still playing.
Cameron Mooney gets the yips from 30m out as well.
Even Eddie Betts is a 50/50 from set shots.

I think if you look at Folau as a forward line player, he can take an overhead grab, has a great vertical leap and I get the feeling his tackling will be great for "frontal pressure".

You can't turn a sprinter into a marathon runner.

Have you played a game of league? Reckon you'll find the aerobic demands are quite similar and less interchanges and breaks in between probably illustrate that.

[Drop Bear]

As much as I'll miss Israel in a Broncos and QLD jersey I can't wait to see them play. I'm hanging out for him to nail someone with a big hit. Good luck to him!

[Choccies]

He's a big boy is Israel but I'm sure the AFL and NRL pre-season structures are poles apart in what they focus on so with a pre-season of long runs and a special weight training program under his belt he'd strip a bit of the weight he carries that is required for NRL and be much better placed to make it in the AFL. The skills will come, don't worry about that...

Unlikely you can't turn a sprinter into a marathon runner.

I'm not saying that.... I'm saying the different training and game requirements will see him adapt better than what people think... Doubt he will take an NRL training program into the AFL...

[mypaddock]

I'd expect Folau to have more of an impact than most people think he will.

I think we are forgetting that most of the players drafted these days aren't natural footballers and AFL wasn't there 1st choice sport as a child. They are drafted because of their athletic ability more so than their pure football talent.
Taking this into account Israel should tear it up in the AFL. He is the size of Jonathon Brown but can run like Judd- scary thought really. And his ability to tackle will be something we haven't seen before. He will definitely cause some damage.

[Swooper16]

There are a few players in the AFL at the moment who i think only get picked due to their tackling pressure. I would imagine that if nothing else these Rugby guys should be able to offer that... all be it at a much larger price.

Even those comments from Vossy about making sure the best players in the league are getting the most dollars doesn't make total sense. Is he going to write a letter to Jordan McMahon and ask him to hand back the majority of the 400K he is reportedly getting this year...?

[piccachu]

does anyone know how tall and big folau is i dont no exact measurments but he is a monster and a monster that moves extremly well, when i seen hunt get picked up i knew folau was going to be the next targetted, i have seen him take pack grabs going back with the flight i cant wait to see what he can do when he is the one barreling through blokes that are coming back at him, just on the NRL players converting just about all of them could do the same thing as brady rawling if not better follow someone around all day and when they get it tackle them

[Strawb]

Good luck to him. How would most AFL players feel with these NRL players comming in and taking millions of dollars because of their name?

[Rik E Boy]

And on that note, i highly doubt too many AFL players could play Rugby League.

It takes years to perfect the tackling technique..( and a lot of shrugs in the gym )

Not these days but if you think back to blokes like Mick Martyn, Plugger or even Gazza Snr and I reckon they would have been naturals.

regards,

REB

[Rik E Boy]

I can't believe posters on here think Folau and Hunt won't be able to make the conversion due to kicking.
Travis Cloke is still playing.
Cameron Mooney gets the yips from 30m out as well.
Even Eddie Betts is a 50/50 from set shots.

Can the guy hit a target? Will he be able to cope with guys coming at him from any angle rather than just front on all the time? And say what you want about aerobic capacity but league is a stop start game that lasts eighty minutes rather than a game that has more continuity that lasts a hundred. It's a publicity stunt pure and simple and I reckon he won't make the grade.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

Have you played a game of league? Reckon you'll find the aerobic demands are quite similar and less interchanges and breaks in between probably illustrate that.

I haven't, but I know the ground is only 100m long and 68m wide and players generally only sprint for 15-20 before hitting the defensive line. They then might break through and run 50m plus. They then put hands on head, walk back to the backs ( as Folau does) and recovers before the next "hit up".

The aerobic demands of AFL are considerably different to league IMO and although fit it will take more than 1 preseason to get up to speed in the top flight of AFL footy. Luckily Folau has at least 2 preseasons in front of him.

[OnSong]

I've played it and was *blowing equally as hard, the halves are long, the demands both physically and aerobically I found equal.

[Mop Up]

All in All it has already created what it was meant to do, get people talknig AFL in Qld and NSW.

Mission completed really.

And as much as you don't like their salaries or them swapping I bet we will all watch closely with intrigue as to how they go.

I think Folau has the best chance, he's 195cm, 102kg, can run like the wind and is ridiculously agile. Try playing against that in the ruck, up forward or down back. It's a Nic Natanui situation, he's only been playing the game for a few yrs.

[KEYDEFENDER]

I think all afl players are now in a similar mould.. so much so we look at freaks like buddy and say how good they are. I think the time is right in our game to try something different and create miss matches.. why not have a powerful 1 dimensional player running out the square.. who is going to stop him?

[Barto]

All that money they're paying someone who hasn't grown up with the code could be put towards developing kids.

[Dirko]

All that money they're paying someone who hasn't grown up with the code could be put towards developing kids.

That's what Vossy said too. As someone pretty heavily involved with Auskick, I agree.

[Dog_ger]

Great stuff.

AFL is here to stay.

Kill off any contenders,

Hmmmmm......

Woolies/Coles haters take note.

[jointman]

4 mill for 4 years...for a guy that has never played footy before what a joke...prob getting more than the likes of juddy etc....

[MatteeG]

4 mill for 4 years...for a guy that has never played footy before what a joke...prob getting more than the likes of juddy etc....

Nah the blue$ have him covered...

[jointman]

4 mill for 4 years...for a guy that has never played footy before what a joke...prob getting more than the likes of juddy etc....

Nah the blue$ have him covered...

but serously there be heaps of young kids out there thats got the talent...but someone whos hasnt played footy at all getting that...the afl is becoming a joke!!!!

[wycbloods]

All that money they're paying someone who hasn't grown up with the code could be put towards developing kids.

That's what Vossy said too. As someone pretty heavily involved with Auskick, I agree.

I think it is a chance to get thousands more kids into AFL rather than RL or RU that is surely a good thing.

No doubting however that more money could always be used to develop kids.