Israel Folau - Why did he fail?

[MC Extra Dollop]

Off topic a little bit, but let's put some facts.

Cricket is strong in :-

Aus
NZ
South Africa
India
Paki
Sri Lanka
England
Bangladesh ?????

Hockey is strong in :-

Aus
NZ
South Africa
India
Paki
England ( GB )
South Korea
Netherlands
Germany
Argentina
Belgium
Spain

Define 'strong'.

Hockey would probably not be in the five most popular sports in most of the countries. Hence, the public generally doesn't care, even when our national team is winning gold medals.

 

[nineteen eighty]

There is very little skill in Rugby, If you gave someone like Ablett the same time Folau had to change body types he would make it easily. It's all about athleticism and agility

That is absolutely not true. You are either talking out of ignorance or hate. Take your pick. There is plenty of skill in Rugby. It's just different to Aussie Rules skills.

 

[nineteen eighty]

as i said to the other rugby fan, allan langer was smaller than blair. as for not being physical enough, have a look at those rugby boys when the ball is up in the air and they have to keep their eyes on it. I will give you the point that there are several new zealanders who are playing the various rugby codes and they are built for it. I suppose if you havent got any brains to start with, then there is nothing to risk.... the the game is perfect for them. As for complexity....pleassssssssseee... you have gotta be kidding...tell israel that one. By the time he worked out where the ball was going, it had already gone down the other end of the ground.

So there are no "planks of wood" in the AFL? I could name 10 off the top of my head from the Pies that couldn't keep up in a conversation with my shoe. Easily another 10 from the Tigers.

Don't be using intelligence as a barometer for whether one is suited to one game over another.

 

[Aucklander]

He might not have been much of a player, but his value to the game will be written about in the years to come.

 

[Markfs]

So there are no "planks of wood" in the AFL? I could name 10 off the top of my head from the Pies that couldn't keep up in a conversation with my shoe. Easily another 10 from the Tigers.

Don't be using intelligence as a barometer for whether one is suited to one game over another.

you're right. I forgot about richmond.

 

[Markfs]

I take by your post you don't really know the first thing about rugby

probably about as much as you know about the australian game...so let's call it quits and you can get back to making up excuses for folau's failure

 

[Seedsfan]

probably about as much as you know about the australian game...so let's call it quits and you can get back to making up excuses for folau's failure

Look it is alright to hate on rugby but we don't need to hear it both are great game and both need a lot of skill and understanding in the game.Scrums are one example if you don't get the engage you are risking a broken neck. Rugby players have a lot of skill but most of their skill do not translate to AFL

 

[Crankyhawk]

After reading an article about Folau and his dominant season playing Union (http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...rld-aint-seen-nothing-yet-20131129-2ygw5.html) I thought I'd have a look at some of his highlights:



Now in my ignorance I thought that the skills required for AFL would be vastly different than the skills required for Union. However, in this clip Folau demonstrates how to take a textbook specky and baulks expertly around a number of players.

With all this talent why did he have zero impact on the GWS team (effectively a team of kids)?
I always thought that out of Folau and Hunt he'd be the one to make a good fist of AFL but Hunt has demonstrated vastly more skill at AFL than Folau ever did. Yet Folau has demonstrated that he is probably the better athlete, and ought to have had some sort of transferable skill set. Would love others thoughts on why Folau failed at AFL.

Because union (or rugby as those north of the border want us to call it) as a sport is less skilful than AFL, so folau's inferior AFL skills shine as a beacon in the union game.

 

[Markfs]

well i watched the video in the last post..... yo yo yo.....obviously israel needs a little bit of motivational music when he plays. Maybe he should have taken some "cans" with him onto the ground when he played AFL so he could listen to some good rap music...

I kept looking for all those skills. Nice high mark..... obviously he learnt something over the two years that he took the money. The rest of the rugger boys dont seem to be interested when the ball is in the air.

He can run. I'll give him that. Maybe Sheedy should have just told him to run.

 

[Markfs]

Look it is alright to hate on rugby but we don't need to hear it both are great game and both need a lot of skill and understanding in the game.Scrums are one example if you don't get the engage you are risking a broken neck. Rugby players have a lot of skill but most of their skill do not translate to AFL

i dont hate rugby, whatever it's shape or form. I dont mind the state of origin. You seem to think that it's skillful to face life in a wheelchair. I'm perplexed. I honestly cant understand why rugby players are so hesitant when the ball goes up in the air. I wish someone would answer that one for me. Israel looks ok and Billy Slater seems to have good ball awareness and there are probably a few others but the average meathead front rower looks like he is being asked to have sex with his sister when he is looking at a ball which has gone up in the air...

sorry...bad analogy...they are a lot less interested in the ball

 

[CyrilDaSquirrel]

Define 'strong'.

Hockey would probably not be in the five most popular sports in most of the countries. Hence, the public generally doesn't care, even when our national team is winning gold medals.

You seem to be arguing from a position of ignorance. You made a list of hockey nations in an earlier post and left off the Dutch, which is like listing rugby playing nations and not knowing about New Zealand.

Also, have a look at this, you may be surprised...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_sport

Cricket has only really gained the upper hand in India/Pakistan in the last few decades since hockey moved from grass to artificial turf, which made the infrastructure for the sport too expensive in those countries.

 

[Pie eyed]

After reading an article about Folau and his dominant season playing Union (http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/u...rld-aint-seen-nothing-yet-20131129-2ygw5.html) I thought I'd have a look at some of his highlights:



Now in my ignorance I thought that the skills required for AFL would be vastly different than the skills required for Union. However, in this clip Folau demonstrates how to take a textbook specky and baulks expertly around a number of players.

With all this talent why did he have zero impact on the GWS team (effectively a team of kids)?
I always thought that out of Folau and Hunt he'd be the one to make a good fist of AFL but Hunt has demonstrated vastly more skill at AFL than Folau ever did. Yet Folau has demonstrated that he is probably the better athlete, and ought to have had some sort of transferable skill set. Would love others thoughts on why Folau failed at AFL.

AFL is much more demanding than Rugby Leagueor Rugby Union...simple. ( I playedallthree).
Soccer is not even in the same ball park. Ball skill and acting ability are the high priority, resilience, toughness, courage and tenacity are not required at all. Crying is a big plus.

 

[Seedsfan]

i dont hate rugby, whatever it's shape or form. I dont mind the state of origin. You seem to think that it's skillful to face life in a wheelchair. I'm perplexed. I honestly cant understand why rugby players are so hesitant when the ball goes up in the air. I wish someone would answer that one for me. Israel looks ok and Billy Slater seems to have good ball awareness and there are probably a few others but the average meathead front rower looks like he is being asked to have sex with his sister when he is looking at a ball which has gone up in the air...

sorry...bad analogy...they are a lot less interested in the ball

Because you need skill to do it right, also when a player is in the air you are not allowed to make contact with them, to try and say rugby players a weak you have no understanding of the game it takes as much if not more courage to play union than it does AFL.

 

[blunt_tiger]

Came for the money and didn't care for the code

 

[Markfs]

Because you need skill to do it right, also when a player is in the air you are not allowed to make contact with them, to try and say rugby players a weak you have no understanding of the game it takes as much if not more courage to play union than it does AFL.

I know that a guy who tries to take the mark in rugby is protected until his feet hit the ground.....so why dont they go for it?????? lol I wouldnt question their courage. I would question their brain capacity. I dont think that they know what to do. They seem to be frozen waiting for the full back to try to take the mark. Folau has appeared to have learnt a trick or two in AFL by actually going for the ball rather than twiddling his thumbs...

Anyway, you can go on about me not understanding the game but you still didnt answer my question...

btw its surprising how fact Folau got to be the best player in rugby union....I doubt that even Michael Jordan would win the brownlow second year...or Lebron....and those guys are always telling us how good they are..

 

[Scotland]

Israel Folau was never going to succeed at AFL level.

He had no background in the sport, and the attributes which make him such a damaging rugby player just don't translate into footy for a guy his size.

Someone like Luke Hodge looks like he could play full back in rugby. Someone like Judd or Ablett look like they could be damaging playing in the halves or at centre for example. Going the other way the smaller, nimble guys look like they could play footy. Giteau, Barnes etc. Folau? Not so much.

 

[Seedsfan]

I know that a guy who tries to take the mark in rugby is protected until his feet hit the ground.....so why dont they go for it?????? lol I wouldnt question their courage. I would question their brain capacity. I dont think that they know what to do. They seem to be frozen waiting for the full back to try to take the mark. Folau has appeared to have learnt a trick or two in AFL by actually going for the ball rather than twiddling his thumbs...

Anyway, you can go on about me not understanding the game but you still didnt answer my question...

btw its surprising how fact Folau got to be the best player in rugby union....I doubt that even Michael Jordan would win the brownlow second year...or Lebron....and those guys are always telling us how good they are..

Folau was already one of the best outside backs in the NRL before he came to the AFL then the transition to Union is not hard as an outside back as their is not much difference in the roles between league and Union apart from the kicking game. He came to the AFL and learnt how to kick something he was not good at when he was in the NRL he also stopped going out and getting on the piss so when he made the move he was always going to be ready to dominate. Note he did not look to good early in the trail games for the Tahs when he played at 10.

Players are not willing to fly for the ball as they don't want to knock it on. In league particularly as they want to tackle the full back as soon as he lands to get the first tackle and if he knocks it on they get another set of 6

 

[IanW]

I know that a guy who tries to take the mark in rugby is protected until his feet hit the ground.....so why dont they go for it??????

Spill the mark, and a knock-on is Australian Rules is play on.

Spill the mark in union or league and it goes forward, then at best you've given away possession.

 

[Gavin Excell]

all evidence points to rugby being shyte game

 

[The Passenger]

Folau was a very impressive athlete that didn't have the passion or the time to make AFL work.

A lot of people trot out with this line but I don't buy into it.

The guy spent a year playing reserve grade to learn the game. I don't know of any code hoppers that have bothered to do that. Hunt went off to play rugby in Japan between his NRL and AFL stints.

Ultimately it showed how hard it is to just jump into a new code at the highest level - Particularly a code vastly different from the one you are playing.

 

[The Passenger]

Umm, NRL is probably more physically demanding in terms of size mate, well thats what I was told constantly when I was up there.

You get taller, ruckman style players in union, smaller nippier players like the half backs, then a few inbetween.

But the hits in general are harder in League.

League is far more physical the union. Not even in the same stratosphere.

Many many more tackles per game. In a league tackle the ball carrier will hit the line at full pace cause he is trying to get every metre. in union they'll hit the line slightly slower as they'll be looking to position the ball to advantage in the ruck.

Tackling is what takes it out of someone more than anything on the rugby fields.

 

[IanW]

A lot of pop trot out with this line but I don't buy into it.

The guy spent a year playing reserve grade to learn the game. I don't know of any code hoppers that have bothered to do that. Hunt went off to play rugby in Japan between his NRL and AFL stints.

Ultimately it showed how hard it is to just jump into a new code at the highest level - Particularly a code vastly different from the one you are playing.

For what it's worth, I reckon Izzy played a pretty good last game against Adelaide, and did enough to show me he was getting the hang of being a CHF - there were some nice leads, there was an awareness of space, there were clues he was getting it.

And then he left, because his heart wasnt in it.

 

[The Passenger]

For what it's worth, I reckon Izzy played a pretty good last game against Adelaide, and did enough to show me he was getting the hang of being a CHF - there were some nice leads, there was an awareness of space, there were clues he was getting it.

And then he left, because his heart wasnt in it.

He definitely didn't give an impression he was enjoying it. Pretty hard to enjoy things when you've got blokes in the media slagging you off before you've even played a game, pretty much begging you to fail. With the amount he copped only the very mentally toughest could handle.

He's a freak athlete.

 

[IanW]

He definitely didn't give an impression he was enjoying it. Pretty hard to enjoy things when you've got blokes in the media slagging you off before you've even played a game, pretty much begging you to fail. With the amount he copped only the very mentally toughest could handle.

He's a freak athlete.

He spent a couple of years working on his tank and his kicking and his awareness of space, while being paid several million bucks.

And now he's doing well in rugby union.

Good luck to him - after all, he could have stayed at GWS, and in the immortal words of Jalen Rose kept on gettin dem checks.

 

[gillo94]

Israel Falou failed because his heart wasn't in it! His heart is with Rugby and once returning to the game he loves wins a Super Rugby Championship with the Waratahs, good on him