Israel Folau to walk away from rugby league to join GWS and AFL

[TITAN PETE]

And the winner is COASTER

[Blazertaser]

I'm sorry mate, as much as you would like this to be a war the AFL is already 10 steps ahead. The NRL need to realise where they are at and focus on the real threat which is Soccer. If the NRL keep making these stupid decisions Soccer will overtake within the next 10 years. Honestly I hope people read this and change their opinion because the current opinion is one that is going to dig the hole bigger for the NRL and rugby league in general.

How do you come to the conclusion that soccer is the real threat within australia? Dont be so simple minded to think that soccer is the only threat to the NRL, as you can see in statistics below, AFL has an incredible amount of followers compared to NRL, soccer and super 14. To be able to recover this amount, we will need to compete against AFL and focus on them as they are still well ahead of all other codes. Soccer is not a threat towards NRL at this stage (Especially within the gold coast haha)

Attendance In Major Competition
NRL
2005
3,278,426
2006
3,115,887
Percentage Change
5.0%

AFL
2005
6,761,952
2006
6,736,851
Percentange Change
0.4%

A-League Soccer
2005
689,997
2006
Est. 1,050,000
Percentage Change
52.2% (est.)

Super 14 Rugby
2005
392,052
2006
624,443
Percentage Change
59.3%

[titansrawesome]

i seriously hate kevin sheedy and all those afl knob jockeys

[DIEHARD]

Kids are the real target

Scott Prince: The biggest sporting war being waged in Australia is not for the established stars but for the hearts and minds of our kids

THE PRINCE DIARIES by Scott Prince

IT was never about Karmichael Hunt or Israel Folau.

These two players are just the expensive bait the AFL are using to attract their real target -- the 12-year-olds in rugby league heartland.

The rumoured $9 million splurge over the next four years isn't for two rugby league players to play at the top level of Aussie rules.

The AFL's brains trust couldn't care two hoots if 'K' or 'Izzy' never scale those heights.

They have shelled out that money to buy a message which will go to the kid who plays under-12s for the Nerang Roosters, the Mudgeeraba Redbacks, the Burleigh Bears and every junior rugby league player in Western Sydney.

The message is simple -- Karmichael Hunt and Israel Folau are going to play Aussie rules. The fact both players were bought won't register with these kids.

All they know is two rugby league stars have decided to play Aussie rules. The biggest sporting war being waged in Australia is not for the established stars but for the hearts and minds of our kids.

Whichever sporting direction a 12-year-old takes is likely to dictate his sporting passion for the rest of his life. And with him will come mum, dad and the younger brothers.

That's why well before there was ever any talk of rugby league players swapping to Aussie rules, the AFL had already invested millions in swarming the Gold Coast schools with Auskick programs.

'Come and kick an Aussie rules ball and we'll give you a goody bag that will rival anything you get at the Show'.

The AFL have deep pockets and they have been extremely aggressive in their approach to poach rugby league-aligned kids on the Coast.

That was the first wave of their assault. The second was to purchase two rugby league icons -- heroes who kids will relate to.

I have no beef with K or Izzy. Why would you knock back that money?

But please don't try to feed me any BS about either player being lured as a future AFL star.

The AFL had to target two athletic league players who could be talked up as possible AFL material.

But I could walk into the Southport Sharks dressing room or any elite camp for young AFL players and point out any number of guys with a greater chance of making that sport's top tier.

So, it is a PR exercise. What can rugby league do about it?

Our game just hasn't got the money to trump those deals, however we can do a smarter job in offering incentives to league players to remain in the game longer.

This could be done on a number of fronts -- monetary incentives for long service to the game, higher pay for rep duties and so on.

But the biggest ace rugby league has is the product.

It has been tagged the `greatest game of all' not as some flippant throwaway line, but because it is.

Just ask Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri, Mat Rogers and Timana Tahu. They were all part of rugby union's version of what rules is now doing. They all took the big cash to change codes.

Ten years on, ask any rugby stalwart whether that experiment worked. Few will answer in the positive.

Many will even suggest it was a major reason why that code is now at such a low ebb.

The message that anyone and anything can be bought doesn't sit well with the fan.

All the above mentioned players returned to rugby league because they could not get the game out of their blood.

It's ironic. The geniuses within the AFL couldn't attract the youth of rugby league with their own game, so they have used two State of Origin heroes to do the job for them.

As the AFL spends millions on 'outsiders', rugby league should continue to show loyalty to our own.

Shore up what makes this game great -- showcases such as Origin -- and increase the spend on the champions of tomorrow in the cities, suburbs and towns of league heartland.

Show them loyalty -- that is the message that will breed true loyalty.

Source: http://www.goldcoast.com.au

[Coaster]

All this has done, has told kids, that if you want to make big dollars in any sport, whether it is Boxing, Union, Afl, ect then take up League and be good at it.

Then you can ask for whatever price you want from any other sport, even if you have never played it.

We should have a massive increase in juniors over this, if marketed correctly.

[DIEHARD]

They played alot of Rugby League footage on the AFL Footy Show last night.

The NRL will be raising the club grant next year, and again the year after and rep payments are set for an increase. This is official.

[Steve]

Funny thing about it is, if these two mercenaries actually do well at AFL, it makes the AFL look soft, weak and untalented. If they fail... the more likely option... the AFL have thrown millions away. Time will tell if it has affected the kids.

The AFL targeted well. Hunt moved from NZ as a teenager. Turned his back on representing his country and played for Queensland. Folau, born and raised in Minto near Campbelltown in Sydney, also turned his back on his state to play for Queensland. These people are turncoats and were always going to be easy to lure away.

Personally I say good riddance to bad rubbish. Folau, Inglis, Hunt, Carroll, Thorn, etc. All these people make a mockery of the concept of State of Origin. The game is better off without them. They'll be forgotten soon enough once the media gets bored.

Sadly they'll both come crawling back to league once their contracts are over with the AFL. But i'm going to hold out hope that they sign with a union team instead. May as well stay in well paid retirement.

[DIEHARD]

I had to laugh watching last night's Matty Johns Show. When Karmichael was asked what he would do when the AFL sit him down in front of children and ask him to tell them to play AFL over Rugby League.

He said "I don't think that is my role"

[titansrawesome]

what i want to know is, how come people like darren lockyer,brad fittler and wally lewis reject england and any other offers for their whole careers and these guys can't? also interesting stat wendell sailor,berrick barnes, lote tuquri,israel folau, karmichael hunt and brad thorn have all defected to different codes from the broncos.

[Titan_Matchu]

i agree that 1 mil a season is great but after he flops who is gonna want him?
do you watch rugby league? if qld are serious about winning the series? please we have enough backs to cover 4 qld teams, lote and hodges are 2 players that werent picked for example. and clubs would be stupid to allow folau to come back to rugby league, from rugby union sure, but afl hell no.
the only reason why the afl has heaps of many is and crowds is simply because THERE IS NOTHING TO DO IN MELBOURNE and i should know i go twice a year, on the gold coast there is heaps of things to do same with new zealand and sydney etc.
btw qld does not rely on folau and he is from tonga not from Queensland.
hope that cleares it all up

This is a completely different situation to what to what people are thinking. For Israel Folau the athleticism is there, almost every AFL player takes around 2-3 years to develop into an athletic body where as Israel has already got it. It will be about teaching the technique of the game and making him able to run the entire game of an AFL match. Mike Pyke plays for the Sydney Swans used to be a Canadian Rugby Union player, he had never played an AFL game before but now he is a regular starter for the Swans, the technique can be taught in a short amount of time is what I'm trying to say.

I have watched Rugby League for around about 7 years now, I have to ask if were a coach of a team and you had a player that was clearly your best player for a position, would you pick him? I know I would, it's about picking the best availiable players, not trying to prove a point and shut him out of every little thing. Currently Israel Folau is still a contracted NRL player but he is getting treated extremely unfairly by fans and media. I just can't get my head around the fact that people will say he is right man for the job but then won't pick him? It just seems silly to think, as a coach, someone would do that.

In regards to the comment about Melbourne, I was born and raised in Melbourne and lived there for 10 years, I go back to Melbourne at least twice a year as well. Melburnians are different, a hell of a lot more passionate about sport than Queenslanders (I'm sorry but it's true). I have attended AFL games in both Queensland and Victoria and NRL games in Queensland and Victoria and without a doubt AFL fans are much more passionate about it.

The fact that you claim there is nothing to do in Melbourne I think is a bit rich and offensive, Melbourne can provide someone with just about anything they want. FFS they even have a rugby league team! I know for a fact there is more to do in Melbourne then there is to do in Western Sydney, yet they still don't get the crowds?

If your arguement about the crowds was correct, which it's not, then tell me why AFL clubs have so many more club members than NRL?

You want to get to the real statistics? Brisbane and Gold Coast were the only two clubs in the NRL last year that made a net gain. Every other club in the NRL lost money, it's not as if there aren't enough people in Sydney to attend these games but why is it that South East Queensland can get it right, yet the rest of the NRL clubs cannot?

I just don't like the fact that people in Rugby League pretend to be what they are not. Rugby League is clearly the number 2 code in Australia and anyone who tries to deny that is either out of their mind or doesn't know what they are talking about.

Why is it that a player can wear the Maroons jersey, but as soon as he makes a smart financial decision about his future he is a traitor? Can anyone say he didn't put 100% in every time he lined up in Maroons jersey? Israel was actually born in NSW, he is Australian. Yes he has a Tongan background but he is an Australian citizen and has represented Australia. If your next comment is going to be about how he wanted to play for Tonga, don't even because he is switching codes and it is not possible in AFL.

With that said I actually am into NRL a fair bit (because in most cases in Queensland AFL is completely not acceptable to follow). I am a Titans fan, I attend home games occasionally, I do not want the NRL to fold but they are really making a lot of stupid decisions lately.

[DIEHARD]

Maybe NRL clubs are backed by Leagues Clubs so these LOSSES are not all they seem. Also how many AFL clubs are "profitable"?

We have seen NRL clubs have massgive gains in memberships, particularly the Dragons, Souths, Parra and Canterbury. And our overall TV ratings still mop the floor with the AFL's. We just need to continue to convert that to Membership and crowds. We are also at the key disadvantage that we play alot of our games at the dump known ast ANZ Stadium not fantastic stadiums like the MCG and the Dome.

Who cares if Israel is the best or whatever. This is about a much larger game, to destroy Rugby League. And for that reason more than any other, we should negate any further advantage AFL can gain from this publicity stunt.

P.S For the record I never liked Hunt or Folau. And believe players such as this do not play Origin for passion but for glory.

[titansrawesome]

Maybe NRL clubs are backed by Leagues Clubs so these LOSSES are not all they seem. Also how many AFL clubs are "profitable"?

We have seen NRL clubs have massgive gains in memberships, particularly the Dragons, Souths, Parra and Canterbury. And our overall TV ratings still mop the floor with the AFL's. We just need to continue to convert that to Membership and crowds. We are also at the key disadvantage that we play alot of our games at the dump known ast ANZ Stadium not fantastic stadiums like the MCG and the Dome.

Who cares if Israel is the best or whatever. This is about a much larger game, to destroy Rugby League. And for that reason more than any other, we should negate any further advantage AFL can gain from this publicity stunt.

P.S For the record I never liked Hunt or Folau. And believe players such as this do not play Origin for passion but for glory.

completely agree with you Diehard and completely disagree with titan michau, its obvious titan michau is a very biased victorian who would diagree with any nrl fan regarding these things, AFL is actually boring (bar 1 point margin grand finals) i could understand if basketball got good crowds because it is an entertaining game in any country(NBA in particular)

[Coaster]

This is a completely different situation to what to what people are thinking.

Mate I appreciate your opinion, and I agree about Victorians love of sport. But I have to disagree with you that Falou is the best player in that position, in fact both Tuquri and Tate have better conversion rates then him, both have more experience and Tuquri is a true duel international.

The difference in origin between the two sides is that we choose a team, they choose there favorites. This is important because it does not matter if a player is not in form, it is about the brotherhood of being a Queenslander. You seen this in Origin 1 when Smith cheered on and helped Balin a player whom he would dislike, fit into the side. Would Ennis do this for Farrer if he got an injury? Nope. Falou IMO has broken that brotherhood, he chose his timing for this announcement and could have chosen to wait until the series was won, much like Hunt did.

I would not choose a player that could disrupt a team, with undue media when a better player is available in Tuquri

[titansrawesome]

Mate I appreciate your opinion, and I agree about Victorians love of sport. But I have to disagree with you that Falou is the best player in that position, in fact both Tuquri and Tate have better conversion rates then him, both have more experience and Tuquri is a true duel international.

The difference in origin between the two sides is that we choose a team, they choose there favorites. This is important because it does not matter if a player is not in form, it is about the brotherhood of being a Queenslander. You seen this in Origin 1 when Smith cheered on and helped Balin a player whom he would dislike, fit into the side. Would Ennis do this for Farrer if he got an injury? Nope. Falou IMO has broken that brotherhood, he chose his timing for this announcement and could have chosen to wait until the series was won, much like Hunt did.

I would not choose a player that could disrupt a team, with undue media when a better player is available in Tuquri

also even if he was the best, we have the series 99% wrapped up

[Coaster]

also even if he was the best, we have the series 99% wrapped up

We lose this game and NSW have the upper hand again with the decider in Sydney.

No time for complacency