Lions' Simon Black tried to give his rival Israel Folau some helpful onfield tips but Izzy just did not catch on. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail
Israel Folau excelled in rugby league but struggled to make the transition to AFL. Picture: Peter Wallis Source: The Courier-Mail
AFL great Simon Black has revealed he tried to coach Israel Folau during a premiership game last season.
But he said that even with direct instructions on how to earn possessions, his rival ``had no idea".
Late in May, the Brisbane Lions were on track to record a 100-point victory against Folau's Greater Western Sydney.
The hulking rugby league experiment was out of breath. He had had only two kicks by the fourth quarter and Black sympathised with his unrewarded efforts.
''I remember playing against him earlier this year at the Gabba, we were up by 70 and I was confident we would win.'' Black recalls.
''The ball came into Izzy's forward line so I told him where to run. I said to Izzy '... `mate, run over there and you will get the ball'. But he didn't. He just had no idea."
The Lions eventually won 132-40 and Folau finished with two kicks and five disposals.
Black's unsuccessful attempt at in-game coaching is the crux of why the State of Origin star's bold cross-code foray failed.
He simply never got it.
Folau was born in western Sydney and grew up in the Polynesian-centric Logan, near Brisbane.
AFL was not even mentioned, let alone played.
Black, Giants coach Kevin Sheedy, premiership-winning coach Mark Williams, fullback of the century Stephen Silvagni and Hawthorn legend Dermott Brereton all tried to make Folau a regular first-grader.
They failed.
Sheedy tried him as a defender, a key forward and even a ruckman, which looked to be his most natural position as he did not need game sense to prosper.
When Folau received the ball, he was solid but he could not position himself to receive it.
''This saga just shows that if you have not played the game before it is very hard to come in and play it at the AFL level," Black said.
''You don't have a feel for it.
''You have a lot of good kids coming through there at GWS and Izzy might not have got a game next year.''
Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss said Folau's potential in the game was hampered because he played a key position as opposed to the flanking role of fellow code-hopper Karmichael Hunt.
''It was always going to be harder for Israel,'' Voss said.
''It is harder trying to adapt to a key position where you have constant attention all the time.
''It is not just the game itself, it has to do with where you play.''
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