Winners Bars - Israel Folau
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How GWS Giants Israel Folau transformed his body for the AFL

ORIGINAL ARTICLE BY: NEIL CORDY
From: The Daily Telegraph, December 3 2011

THERE’S a growing body of evidence to suggest Israel Folau is on the road to success as an AFL footballer.

Long blessed with an amazing physique for rugby league and outstanding athleticism, Folau has been transformed into the perfect build for AFL.

Like a sculptor creating a priceless work of art, fitness guru John Quinn has been moulding Folau’s body into one that can run, jump, bump, tackle, mark and kick all day.

“Before he was really top heavy and his legs were quite big,” Quinn said. “Now he’s slimmed down in the upper body and legs and has more strength through his core which is his back, abdominals and gluteals.”

When Folau arrived at the Giants he was a strapping 195cm tall and 104kg, a great size for rugby league but not quite the right shape for Aussie rules.

With his first season of Aussie rules under the belt Folau can feel the difference every time he steps on the training paddock.

“I definitely feel fitter than when I was playing rugby league, especially aerobically,” Folau said.

“There’s still a lot of work to go and I haven’t reached my peak.”

The former State of Origin winger has dropped 7kg after embarking on an intense training regime and now weighs a lean and mean 98kg.

Already slim when he joined the Giants at 7.5 per cent body fat, Folau has also dropped his body fat to a slender 4 per cent.

But it’s not just the weight loss which is helping the former Kangaroo sculpt the perfect AFL body.

Folau’s redistribution of muscle mass has the Giants excited about what he could achieve in his first AFL season.

Giants coach Kevin Sheedy believes the remodelled Folau should play 15 games in his debut season.

“Once he started to work his body just metamorphosised into what an AFL body should be,” Quinn said.

“I think he’s got a terrific build for this game, he’s going to be a tough player to man up against.”

Folau has a massive advantage in body type compared to fellow league convert Karmichael Hunt given his height.

Karmichael Hunt is 9cm shorter at 186cm and thickset through his hips and legs.

It’s a build perfect for breaking and making tackles but not for running the 10 to 13km required of an AFL defender.

Hunt showed some glimpses of brilliance and managed 15 games in his first season in the AFL with the Gold Coast Suns but struggled to deal with the high level of aerobic fitness required to excel.

While Folau has lost weight he’s lost none of his incredible power.

Quinn worked for 10 years with Kevin Sheedy at Essendon before moving to the Giants and says Folau has the biggest vertical leap he has seen in the AFL.

The Giants believe this ability combined with his new physique will make him an outstanding prospect in the coming seasons.

Part of the conditioning process has been the Giants version of fight club where they stand toe-to-toe and duke it out during intense boxing sessions.

Former Port Adelaide star Chad Cornes was on the receiving end of some heavy hitting from Folau last Saturday.

“I haven’t done much boxing so it’s a bit intimidating going in against Izzy,” Cornes said.

“It’s supposed to be just body shots but it can get a bit willing.”

 

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