Izzy retiring??

[ScottH]

The multi-million signing is seemingly headed back to rugby league, which would end the two-year, four million dollar experiment as the high-profile code-jumper.

Folau sensationally joined Greater Western Sydney in 2011 after a successful career in league.

The Herald Sun has been trying to confirm the story for the past ninety minutes.

At 12:30pm, club chairman Tony Shepherd was not aware of any Folau news.

More recently, when contacted again Shepherd refused to confirm or deny whether Folau had quit the club.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/afl/nrl-convert-israel-folau-set-to-retire-from-greater-western-sydney/story-e6frexx0-1226508316174

[BillyRayCypress]

He hasn't been to honest about things.

I wonder how much of the money he will give back. Seems appropriate that he joins the eels.

I think most of the AFL treated him with respect but compared to Hunt, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Don't really think anyone will miss him. Just proves how much harder aussie rules is to rugby league.

God $peed to the eels !!!!

[mcs]

No one will miss him at all. The two times I saw him live (Rd 1 and their last game here in canberra) he looked utterly, completely useless. I think I could have had more of an impact on the games in question than he did. Was only ever bought over for the marketing, and the Giants, as they improve with their quality young stockpile of talent will soon find new poster boys to promote the club.

[CureTheSane]

From Facebook

AFL
Israel Folau has walked away from GWS and the AFL.

The rugby league convert confirmed this afternoon he "didn't quite have the passion" for the game: http://afl.to/Q7P8y9

Guess they have a bit of room in the cap for Tippett now....

[neilfws]

Harsh but fair article: AFL's failed dalliance with Folau.

It is hard to think of a redeeming feature of the experiment. Its naked purpose was promotion.

One less distraction from the game, anyway.

[unconfuseme]

He was never likely to make it as a player, but the exercise has been anything but a failure!?

The AFL's ROI via media coverage in Sydney has been enormous, and continues right now and beyond!!!

He did his job fine, he always had a smile, didn't put a foot out of place in public, just didn't get a kick!

The other thing this does is puts the culture of the 2 codes under the spotlight ... the NRL will be happy to take him back, just like Sonny Bill Williams, and any number of former defectors ... "passion for the game" or not.

[goswannie14]

He didn't retire.....he quit. Big difference IMO.

[Nico]

He hasn't been to honest about things.

I wonder how much of the money he will give back. Seems appropriate that he joins the eels.

I think most of the AFL treated him with respect but compared to Hunt, he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

Don't really think anyone will miss him. Just proves how much harder aussie rules is to rugby league.

God $peed to the eels !!!!

Comparisons are being made with Mike Pyke. Why did he succeed and Folau not? Ah, Mike's level of intelligence is a fair way ahead. Interviews with both men attest to this. BRC, there is place in the AFL sheds for blunt tools. Dustin Martin might not be in the Richmond shed for too long.

[stellation]

He really wasn't cutting it, I was keen to see him to do well purely as an underdog/experiment story but in the end he just looked completely lost out there. I wondered what it was doing to team morale, as well, when all those elite kids were seeing him gifted games- I'm sure at times they felt like they were training/competing for 21 spots in the seniors.

The story put to the media is that he came to them this week on it, if that's true I wonder how annoyed they are that it wasn't sorted out before/during trade week- if they honestly thought he was going to contribute something next year they would probably have liked to have tried to pick up one more mature player from somewhere. I guess it throws somebody a lifeline in the PSD.

[AnnieH]

No great loss.

[BeeEmmAre]

He achieved what he was bought over for, which is @@@@loads of publicity. No publicity is bad publicity for the game, even if it is the comedic ramblings of the Terror

[BRISWAN]

A major marketing failure by the AFL which will be utilised by the NRL in the West for their benefit.

He got the bucks....good luck to him......was never an AFL player.

[Triple B]

A major marketing failure by the AFL which will be utilised by the NRL in the West for their benefit.

He got the bucks....good luck to him......was never an AFL player.

A major marketing failure?

You're still taking about him and sharing your opinion, exactly what the whole exercise was for. He may not have set the world alight as a player, but no way has it been a 'major marketing failure'.

And it will go on and on next year as well. The over the top exposure and critical eye passed over him next year every second he is on the ground will always be preceded with a reference to AFL or GWS and the experiment.

I have no doubt the NRL will use Israel and the whole recent journey as a marketing tool for them, but that will suit the AFL down to the ground, more free publicity because the NRL are preaching to the choir in the northern states, but every time the Israel thing is mentioned, some kid in Sydney's west may say "Dad, what's this GWS thing they speak of"....and that's the whole point.

He achieved what he was bought over for, which is @@@@loads of publicity. No publicity is bad publicity for the game, even if it is the comedic ramblings of the Terror

Exactly.