Folau to Western Sydney

[Robbo]

Mike Sheehan apparently just announced on The Couch that it's a done deal and will be announced tomorrow.

The NRL must be seething- lulz

[Captain]

Yep will be brilliant if they can pull that off!

[Bas]

Great news. He went to school at Westfields High School which is at Fairfield West. Outstanding recruiting and he is still only 21. I hope he makes it and I'm sure that there will be a rivalry between him and Hunt.

Laughing at victorian purists who still refer to their background as rugby. It seems an Irishman can come to Oz and adapt but someone with a league background can't.

He will make a great FF.

[ugg]

The Greater Western Sydney Chutzpahs!

[Damien]

Laughing at victorian purists who still refer to their background as rugby. It seems an Irishman can come to Oz and adapt but someone with a league background can't.

Yeah, this is a lot different to the Irish situation, Gaelic is much closer to our game then theirs, although the kicking situation is maybe comparable, but it barely affects anyone if someone like Brendan Murphy goes home but they are League superstars, and (until maybe Ablett next year), are the two highest paid players in our game and haven't kicked a Sherrin in anger yet. I think it's OK for the 'purists' to question and predict their success, up to Folau and Hunt to show what they are made of.

As for the Rugby thing, everyone I know that says that, says it just to annoy Leaguies

[Reggi]

Interesting that in almost 30 years in Sydney we have not tried this seriously. Anyway good luck to them it's worth a try. On Melbourne radio they interestingly said, he doesn't need to be the next Gary Ablett, just the next LRT.

I think LRT with a Union background had only played 30 something AFL games at all when he debuted for Sydney

Good luck to him anyway

[ScottH]

Given that the 2 new teams have an open cheque book, and Ablett has told the club he will wait till the end of the season to re sign, he will be offered an enormous amount to move.

Good luck to Folau, and Hunt, will be interesting to see how they adapt to AFL.

[ugg]

I read an article in The Canberra Times that said that GWS were considering joining AFL Canberra next year instead of the VFL route that GC17 have taken. If so, the very first AFL game that Folau plays might be against the Swans reserves.

[dimelb]

I read an article in The Canberra Times that said that GWS were considering joining AFL Canberra next year instead of the VFL route that GC17 have taken. If so, the very first AFL game that Folau plays might be against the Swans reserves.

That would be a really interesting move and a great way to boost the game in an area that could be increasingly significant.

[KirkysSocks]

Not going to work and the arrogance and pig headiness of an out of control AFL will come back to bite them on the arse BIG TIME. There are a few who the AFL have insulted, namely good players who can't earn a good pay due to SC and yet some guy who has never touched a sherrin will get paid a million. I lol at the spin about the narrative the afl wants to create with these players, thinking that all those islander and RL kids will run to auskick clinics in hope of being the next KMH or Israel. And the glee from the AFL knuckle draggers thinking this will kill RL..well RL has survived beaten after beaten for 100 years and is still around.

And all this will do is make the league people hate afl even more.

TBH not one single person i know, including my huge family, in sydney has ever embraced let alone watched a game of AFL. All of them hate it still to this day.

[goswannie14]

Folau will adapt easily. You can see that in how he plays League. Anyone who denies that he is an elite athlete and can't adapt is kidding themselves.

I haven't seen much of Hunt, but have watched numerous games when Folau was at the Storm, he is an exceptional talent and will do well.

BTW, in all of this have we forgotten that Mike Pyke comes from a similar (not the same) background? But I forgot......the Swans can do it, but not the Bogans.

[KirkysSocks]

I am sure he is a supurb athlete..but have you seen him kick? Unless he is a link up player and will just handball his kicking will be a major factor.

Twice this year i have seen passages of play where he tried a grubber or to kick the ball and he shanked it.