NRL convert Israel Folau appears set to retire from Greater Western Sydney

[franklin2323]

Agree with what you say 100%


But can some one please tell me how can Parra be close to the cap? :shock:

Yeah even with Hopoate I can't see it

 

[Y2Eel]

Agree with what you say 100%


But can some one please tell me how can Parra be close to the cap? :shock:

We aren't that's how we can afford Falou;-)

 

[El Diablo]

Just reported on radio that eels cannot fit him under the cap and are asking the NRL for dispensation.

Sorry, but if you can't fit a player under the cap then pay his less money or don't sign him.

which radio and who was their source?

 

[Red&BlackBear]

Hope Panthers get him.

 

[DJShaksta]

98.1
Source was reported as Ricky Stuart.

 

[El Diablo]

98.1

who is that?

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

who is that?

Wollongong, heard the same thing.

 

[Different kind of Rabbit]

Nothing about Folau suggests he'd make a good fullback, he lacks ball playing ability, vision, support play & you'd have to wonder just how strong his positional play would be given he's never played there before.

Wingers are highly involved in the modern day game, there's plenty who average 20 runs a game & we all know he'll be competing for numerous cross field kicks. The only thing I'd suggest is every now and then when the Eels are in the opposition 20 (which will be rare given their forward pack & lack of a halfback/dummy half) that Folau can stand at centre because he does run very effective lines as we saw at the Broncos.

???

He is probably one of the best players under a high ball to have ever laced on a boot. He also has exceptional pace and was exceedingly hard to tackle. All of these things would make him a fantastic kick returner. If you ignore the extra 5/8 element of the modern fullback and focus purely on the ability he would have to return the ball at pace and beat tackles, he ticks those boxes.

The extra 5/8 element is overplayed imo. It's not like a fullback needs exceptional vision or any sort of kicking game, the likes of Boyd and Hayne sit out the back of a set move, receive a cut out and throw a pass to the winger and they usually only do this on their preferred side. They run this same set move 1000 times a week at training. You could train a monkey to do it, let alone an athlete like Folau.

 

[boxhead]

Sounds to me like someone is twisting Ricky's words. He's said that we are strained to fit him in, not that we can't.

DKOR Don't compare Boyd and Hayne in terms of playmaking, Hayne does far more than just a no-look cut-out pass in that regard.

 

[aqua_duck]

???

He is probably one of the best players under a high ball to have ever laced on a boot. He also has exceptional pace and was exceedingly hard to tackle. All of these things would make him a fantastic kick returner. If you ignore the extra 5/8 element of the modern fullback and focus purely on the ability he would have to return the ball at pace and beat tackles, he ticks those boxes.

The extra 5/8 element is overplayed imo. It's not like a fullback needs exceptional vision or any sort of kicking game, the likes of Boyd and Hayne sit out the back of a set move, receive a cut out and throw a pass to the winger and they usually only do this on their preferred side. They run this same set move 1000 times a week at training. You could train a monkey to do it, let alone an athlete like Folau.

Folau does not have exceptional pace, he can catch a high ball and break tackles but he's not got the pace of even the footwork of someone like Brett Morris. I remember in the all stars game a few years back Folau brushed aside Blake Ferguson, Ferguson had to regather his feet turn and chase and still ran down Folau

 

[Loudstrat]

Hayne fullback. Kelly or Paulo at pivot. Izzy, Hoppa and Sio to divvy up 3 of the 4 other backs. Got another year to wait for Hoppa anyway. Izzy will be a 3/4 - wether he is wing or centre depends on his passing game. To me he is a runner - therefore more likely winger. To me he is also a great replacement for Eric Grothe Jnr in attack.

Last year a heap of things went wrong, mainly an idiot coach who stifled attack, and f*cked with the heads of two "confidence" players in the halves. Forwards were OK, and if they get some confidence back they will improve.

Folau will take at least 10-15 games to get some of his mojo back, but the thought of him finishing off after some Hayne magic is a nice one. We are an attacking club. Folau was an attacking big gun. Good signing.

 

[aqua_duck]

he'd be slower

stickinsectball players lope around .... half paced mainly for longer distances with lighter frames
they don't do much short burst power training .. they don't need to

its called power to weight ratio

middle distance runners aren't faster then 100m sprinters are they ?
he'd kill the 800m runs at training

he wouldn't get near beating any of the NRL's outside backs at the 100m drills though in his present condition

exactly right, its why NFL players put up the numbers they do in sprints, broad jump, vertical jump etc despite their size, all their training is based around fast twitch muscle fibres and focused on explosiveness. Right now Izzy would be able to run all day but over 40m he'd get left behind

 

[aqua_duck]

Hayne fullback. Kelly or Paulo at pivot. Izzy, Hoppa and Sio to divvy up 3 of the 4 other backs. Got another year to wait for Hoppa anyway. Izzy will be a 3/4 - wether he is wing or centre depends on his passing game. To me he is a runner - therefore more likely winger. To me he is also a great replacement for Eric Grothe Jnr in attack.

Last year a heap of things went wrong, mainly an idiot coach who stifled attack, and f*cked with the heads of two "confidence" players in the halves. Forwards were OK, and if they get some confidence back they will improve.

Folau will take at least 10-15 games to get some of his mojo back, but the thought of him finishing off after some Hayne magic is a nice one. We are an attacking club. Folau was an attacking big gun. Good signing.

Folau is a gun but $600k for a winger is ridiculous, most winger would be on under $300k

 

[SharkShocked]

Wouldn't they play him in the centres?

 

[aqua_duck]

Wouldn't they play him in the centres?

If they're paying him $500k+ they pretty much have to

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

A big coo for Parra. He will have a big impact on their season next year I feel. No more wooden spoon at least.

 

[kmav23]

They comfortably made their money back in terms of the publicity he generated for the club. It was never about his onfield ability, more his off field headlines.

Bit sad for Folau but hey, he knew what he was getting into.

why sad for a man being paid millions....to play sport

:crazy::crazy:

 

[kmav23]

his set himself and his extended family up for the rest of his like.. and his like mid 20's

he can play where he wants now as his loaded

 

[Perth Red]

The West ran a back page story on it today, pretty derogatory towards the AFL for wasting money but kind to Izzy really considering how crap he has been. He wasted 20% of his career for a bucket load of cash. Financially worth it i guess, back just in time to become a World champion if the kiwis can't repeat.

 

[carlosthedwarf]

Here's Ricky's words, sounds like it's pretty much signed. No talk of needing money from the NRL.

http://www.nrl.com/stuart-confident...spx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Parramatta are set to announce the signing of AFL defector Israel Folau in coming days, with coach Ricky Stuart revealing contract negotiations between the AFL convert, the Eels and the ARL Commission are well advanced.
Stuart revealed on Friday the Eels had been involved in hourly discussions with the game's governing body about the best way to bring Folau back to rugby league after he quit AFL on Thursday.
The former NSW and Australian coach stopped short of declaring Folau's move to the 2012 wooden spooners a done deal, but was very buoyant about their chances.
"We are in the fortunate position that Israel wants to play for Parramatta," Stuart said.
"He is a western Sydney product. He has grown up here and he has some good mates at the club.
"This is a great thing for rugby league and we are being up front about it all.
"It's not a done deal but (Eels chief executive) Ken Edwards has been in daily, hourly contact with the NRL.
"We are going about this the right way.
"This isn't just about Parramatta ... rugby league needs him."
Stuart said he had spoken with Folau since he announced his decision on Thursday to quit AFL.
"I spoke to him yesterday afternoon ... I had a good chat with him and everything tells me (he wants to return to rugby league).
"I'm only telling you what I know. It is so good for us. We have had a tough couple of years but now we are moving in the right direction."
Stuart said his new club would do whatever it took to get Folau's signature. However, he said the club would not ask for financial assistance from the ARLC.
"We see him as a key target in regard to getting Izzy to play for the Parramatta Eels," Stuart said on Friday.
"We will move heaven and earth to get him here.
"I see him being a great fit for Parramatta, a great fit for the culture of our club.
"I'm pretty confident he wants to come back to the game.
"He didn't make that announcement because he is going to soccer.
Stuart praised Folau's decision in leaving behind the code he had struggled to master in the past two seasons, and said he would return to the NRL a better player
"It was a tough and courageous decision," Stuart said.
"He could have easily taken the money ... it was a very courageous and honest move.
"It's such a great thing for rugby league that he has decided to come back.
"It's what our game needs. We keep hearing about Sonny Bill Williams coming back and, yesterday, you have that announcement from Israel Folau.
"When you look at Izzy's age, I think the endurance levels of what he had to achieve in AFL will only improve his game in regard to his fitness and energy levels.
"Putting size back on won't be an issue for him either at his age. The good thing is he is going to get a full pre-season to prepare. He hasn't reached the pinnacle in his career yet in rugby league."