Up there Izzy - flying Folau has AFL coaches drooling Up there Izzy - flying Folau has AFL coaches drooling
Friday, July 4, 2008
AS AFL critics lament the loss of the "speccie" in the modern game, Israel Folau's State of Origin grab qualified as exactly that, with a hang time that would have filled even Warwick Capper with pride.
Folau might well be the hot-*test*-('") young talent in rugby league, but his high-marking skills on display during Wednesday night's Origin decider would not have looked out of place during an AFL match.
Having already proven his talents at ground level time and again, the 19-year-old phenomenon took to the skies at ANZ Stadium, climbing onto the back of Melbourne Storm teammate - but NSW opponent - Anthony Quinn to spectacularly mark a cross-field kick from Johnathan Thurston.
If that wasn't enough already, Folau had the presence of mind to put personal safety aside and contort his body around and slam the ball down for his second try of the evening.
Even Sydney Swans' frequent flyer Leo Barry - no stranger to unforgettable marks himself - liked what he saw.
"It was a great mark - yeah, I was impressed," Barry said.
"Probably the first reaction I had was why don't more of them take the overhead marks more times, because if you're able to master the art of taking an overhead mark, you could score a lot more tries."
The man credited with bringing the aerial antics to Folau's game, Melbourne assistant coach Michael Maguire, said a combination of natural ability and hard work allowed the 2007 Dally M Rookie of the Year to reach such heights.
"It was absolutely freakish," Maguire said yesterday. "I'm not quite sure if you can train that, but he's one hell of an athlete. It was a great effort.
"We do a lot of practice on our high ball and our catching down here. I always thought early on he was going to be a very good catcher of the ball, but he practises very hard at that part of his game, so it was only a matter of time before he came up with one.
"Over the past two years, Izzy's probably revolutionised catching in the game."
Maguire has borrowed several of his training methods from the AFL and said that Folau and fellow high-ball star Greg Inglis had been much influenced by the culture of their adopted city.
"I think they'd definitely watch AFL, and this is definitely the best place to learn how to catch, so from seeing that game and a lot of their own practice, they've added that dimension," Maguire said.
While the Broncos-bound Folau looks perfectly happy in the league limelight, Maguire reckons he wouldn't be out of place in the rival code.
"I reckon there was plenty of AFL coaches watching last night thinking, 'I wouldn't mind him on our side,"' he said.
Indeed, Sydney coach Paul Roos said the act was "quite spectacular" and how it had captured the public imagination "probably reinforces what a great part of the game it is for AFL".
"The thing I found exciting about it was his ability to translate the mark into a try - it was quite exciting to see him twist his body and put the ball down on the ground," Roos said, adding he was not sure how Folau would adapt to the indigenous game given the different endurance levels required.
The player himself admits it has taken a great deal of hard work to develop his technique.
"We did a bit with the Kangaroos and we trained with Geelong in the pre-season ... they gave us a fair bit of info on how to catch AFL-style," Folau said.
"With my jumping, I'm lucky to have that talent, but it took me a fair bit of time to get the AFL-style catching down pat. During the pre-season I worked hard on that. I've still got areas to work on with my technique but I'm happy with how I'm jumping at the moment."
Bit slow putting this up but oh well..
Will be a bummer when he leaves for Broncos but people have to understand the Storm are a team and 1 guy isnt going to affect us, we're losing Michael Crocker, Jeremy Smith n a few others also who put in just as many match-winning performances.
When Inglis first came thru the system, most people were saying there will never be another like him, not for quite a few years..the next season this guy showed up, this year i'd say the next star was Will Chambers - maybe not as much as Issy but he was going somewhere before his knee injury. So keep an eye out for next year, especially with this genius idea of Toyota Cup under 20's, bcoz you'll never know who the next whiz-kid is going to be.
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AS AFL critics lament the loss of the "speccie" in the modern game, Israel Folau's State of Origin grab qualified as exactly that, with a hang time that would have filled even Warwick Capper with pride. Folau might well be the hot-*test*-('") young talent in rugby league, but his high-marking skills on display during Wednesday night's Origin decider would not have looked out of place during an AFL match. Having already proven his talents at ground level time and again, the 19-year-old phenomenon took to the skies at ANZ Stadium, climbing onto the back of Melbourne Storm teammate - but NSW opponent - Anthony Quinn to spectacularly mark a cross-field kick from Johnathan Thurston. If that wasn't enough already, Folau had the presence of mind to put personal safety aside and contort his body around and slam the ball down for his second try of the evening. Even Sydney Swans' frequent flyer Leo Barry - no stranger to unforgettable marks himself - liked what he saw. "It was a great mark - yeah, I was impressed," Barry said. "Probably the first reaction I had was why don't more of them take the overhead marks more times, because if you're able to master the art of taking an overhead mark, you could score a lot more tries." The man credited with bringing the aerial antics to Folau's game, Melbourne assistant coach Michael Maguire, said a combination of natural ability and hard work allowed the 2007 Dally M Rookie of the Year to reach such heights. "It was absolutely freakish," Maguire said yesterday. "I'm not quite sure if you can train that, but he's one hell of an athlete. It was a great effort. "We do a lot of practice on our high ball and our catching down here. I always thought early on he was going to be a very good catcher of the ball, but he practises very hard at that part of his game, so it was only a matter of time before he came up with one. "Over the past two years, Izzy's probably revolutionised catching in the game." Maguire has borrowed several of his training methods from the AFL and said that Folau and fellow high-ball star Greg Inglis had been much influenced by the culture of their adopted city. "I think they'd definitely watch AFL, and this is definitely the best place to learn how to catch, so from seeing that game and a lot of their own practice, they've added that dimension," Maguire said. While the Broncos-bound Folau looks perfectly happy in the league limelight, Maguire reckons he wouldn't be out of place in the rival code. "I reckon there was plenty of AFL coaches watching last night thinking, 'I wouldn't mind him on our side,"' he said. Indeed, Sydney coach Paul Roos said the act was "quite spectacular" and how it had captured the public imagination "probably reinforces what a great part of the game it is for AFL". "The thing I found exciting about it was his ability to translate the mark into a try - it was quite exciting to see him twist his body and put the ball down on the ground," Roos said, adding he was not sure how Folau would adapt to the indigenous game given the different endurance levels required. The player himself admits it has taken a great deal of hard work to develop his technique. "We did a bit with the Kangaroos and we trained with Geelong in the pre-season ... they gave us a fair bit of info on how to catch AFL-style," Folau said. "With my jumping, I'm lucky to have that talent, but it took me a fair bit of time to get the AFL-style catching down pat. During the pre-season I worked hard on that. I've still got areas to work on with my technique but I'm happy with how I'm jumping at the moment."