Thoughts on Folau to rugby

[TOCC]

there's no need to bring state vs state debates into this

 

[JSRF10]

During the Leinster game at the weekend at a break in play the crowd broke into a chorus of "one more year" to Brian O'Driscoll. Perhaps we should try this for Izzy? The effectiveness obviously depending on how quickly we get shouted down by the corporates at SFS.

 

[biggsy]

Fucked, he is only here for one thing and that bums on seats for the tahs and Wallabies.

Jessy Mogg is the Wallaby full back for the Lions tour AAC (Adam Ashley-Cooper) is now benched and Folau should be watching on Foxtel. Im 110% against him in Green and Gold and Rugby. He will Be like all the other high Profile NRL players, come get the big Coin and piss of back to that other Game.

 

[Braveheart81]

Monday afternoon cans biggsy?

 

[Ruggo]

Folou will start. I think he was always going to as the sacred Wallaby jersey as in the past is no match for what the ARU will call "return on investment". The saving grace is he is playing well and looks the goods.

I personally would love to see him play in the same backline as Quade Cooper. He will be destructive in the space that the Cooper passing game would provide and I think he could also add the muscle to take the heat off of a lot of the work Digby does.

I would like to see him take the 15 and JOC (James O'Connor) take the other wing spot.

 

[biggsy]

Monday afternoon cans biggsy?

Waiting For it, but Nope, just hate League Converts taking positions of rugby player

 

[barbarian]

Waiting For it, but Nope, just hate League Converts taking positions of rugby player

Says the man who wants to pick Jesse Mogg at fullback.......
.

 

[biggsy]

Says the man who wants to pick Jesse Mogg at fullback...
.

I did mention High profile NRL. Well ponited out, but mogg is not a league player. He is rugby school boy that unfortunately got mix up in league. Mogg is the next full back for Australian not this bloke who will give union a year or so.

 

[wamberal]

Folou will start. I think he was always going to as the sacred Wallaby jersey as in the past is no match for what the ARU will call "return on investment".

I don't know how long your rugby memory goes back, but I can assure you that some pretty terrible footballers have worn the "sacred Wallaby jersey".


Nobody owns the jersey, they only wear it, for one match at a time. Folau deserves to wear it, IMHO, certainly he is a far, far better footballer than many who have worn it in the past.

 

[terry j]

Waiting For it, but Nope, just hate League Converts taking positions of rugby player

Is it a case of 'once a league player always a league player'? (Or has he confirmed he's going back to league? Missed it if so, very possible)

For now tho, is he not a union player?

I never saw him play league, and has only been the last two games where I thought he has the goods. Anyway, the point is that I mentioned this to a friend a few days ago, evidently he must have seen him play league, and he replied that he 'never had a doubt he'd make it'. So all that means is that on some level his talents have been noted by more than a few.

If he has not yet said he'll be returning to league (and if not why the speculation??) I wonder WHY he'd return. Would he make more money? Friendships? He feels it is a better game to play? What is the scuttlebut.

 

[wamberal]

The mungoes will be totally desperate to get him back, meaning that huge bucketloads of dosh will be thrown at him. Whatever rules they have, they will be broken.


Unless Folau falls in love with Pulver's daughter, or something like that, he will be g-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-one after just one season.

 

[Ruggo]

I don't know how long your rugby memory goes back, but I can assure you that some pretty terrible footballers have worn the "sacred Wallaby jersey".


Nobody owns the jersey, they only wear it, for one match at a time. Folau deserves to wear it, IMHO, certainly he is a far, far better footballer than many who have worn it in the past.

Terrible in that somebody on the internet says they were terrible?

It is not about "owning the jersey" but rather earning it. I don't know how short your memory is but I can assure you that some players in the past have just had it handed to them based on how marketable they are or the size of their pay check.

As I said in my original post (which you have selectively quoted) he is playing well.

 

[Ruggo]

Is it a case of 'once a league player always a league player'? (Or has he confirmed he's going back to league? Missed it if so, very possible)

For now tho, is he not a union player?

I never saw him play league, and has only been the last two games where I thought he has the goods. Anyway, the point is that I mentioned this to a friend a few days ago, evidently he must have seen him play league, and he replied that he 'never had a doubt he'd make it'. So all that means is that on some level his talents have been noted by more than a few.

If he has not yet said he'll be returning to league (and if not why the speculation??) I wonder WHY he'd return. Would he make more money? Friendships? He feels it is a better game to play? What is the scuttlebut.

He looks happy where he is at the moment. If it was all about the money I suspect he would still be playing AFL with GWS.

 

[terry j]

He looks happy where he is at the moment. If it was all about the money I suspect he would still be playing AFL with GWS.

(no multiple quotes available here?)

well it certainly seems to be that he has been 'damned' by quite a few here, maybe there is fuel for that fire that I know nothing about, but what I'm personally curious about is why he might want to leave. We see the relative merits between the two games thru our own rose tinted glasses which is of course a bias, others have suggested it will be tons of money, you don't feel that is the case (tho it could be argued he did not 'make' it in AFL as opposed to this game).

I mean, to us, it is almost inconceivable that some would prefer to play league (notwithstanding how perfectly reasonable that actually is). Hence my curiosity on the matter.

 

[Athilnaur]

I hope he stays. I think he will. Either way the ARU move to nab him is looking pretty inspired now, the perfect circuit breaker for the tahs and for that matter the ARU after quadegate. Enabled a few bombs to be defused enabling Quade to stay. So wins all round.

Personally I am just loving his play and the morale he brings to the team, pure magic.

 

[TOCC]

I don't know how long your rugby memory goes back, but I can assure you that some pretty terrible footballers have worn the "sacred Wallaby jersey".


Nobody owns the jersey, they only wear it, for one match at a time. Folau deserves to wear it, IMHO, certainly he is a far, far better footballer than many who have worn it in the past.

Probably not the senitment you were going with, but i don't for a second believe that past selection misgivings should influence the integrity of the jersey/honour in future selections.

If Israel is displaying that he is the best player in his position at the time that the selections are made and he suits the game plan, then he deserves the opportunity, that is the root of the issue. I will however say, that if it is leaked that he has signed back with the NRL prior to him playing a test match, then overlook the bloke for selection...

My opinion on Israel is that he is obviously showing some great tackle breaking ability, but i'm still concerned about the 1% errors he is making due to his raw understanding of the game. Whilst not a massive issue at Super Rugby level, mistakes are exasperated at test level.

 

[qwerty51]

He definitely was making errors early on but the last couple games I don't remember him making any errors at all.

I've been really impressed by his ruck work, I thought he'd take quite a while to learn how to compete in that part of the game, he's doing pretty good there.

 

[Richo]

Hospital pass to Kingston was bad. Should have kicked it to the shithouse. Maybe his only mistake in the game though.

 

[wamberal]

It is not about "owning the jersey" but rather earning it.

Errr, yes, I think that is more or less what I said. "Earning a jersey" does imply a level playing field, with selections based not on history, but on current form, and potential for short term improvement - in line with the coaching strategies, the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, and of the players competing for positions.

I don't know how short your memory is but I can assure you that some players in the past have just had it handed to them based on how marketable they are or the size of their pay check.

My memory is very long, actually. But, help me out. Name some names. Firstly, of players who just had their jerseys handed to them on the basis of being marketable.

Secondly, players who had their jerseys handed to them based on the size of their pay check.

I am all ears. And eyes. And memory.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

The latter part of the Gregan era is one that springs to mind. Not sure if it was because he was particularly marketable or expensive, but the Randwick second grade halfback (Whittaker) deserved more game time than the Randwick first grade halfback (Gregan).

I suspect that the OP is having a dig at some of the high priced Loig recruits of the early part of this century - Big Dell, Lote, Rogers, Tahu, and Cross.

The first three were very marketable but generally deserved selection to the wobs on their form and abilities. Not too sure about the latter two, but they weren't particularly marketable, or had particularly large pay checks.