Israel Folau on importance of mental break, future, marriage and his kids’ trans-Tasman decision
IN many respects, an Israel Folau summer holiday sounds a lot like one us mortals might have. Apart from one element — the marital debate about which country your kids will play sport for.
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IN many respects, an Israel Folau summer holiday sounds a lot like one us mortals might punch out.
Daily trip for caffeine, a barbecue or two, the odd dress-up for the races and getting side-eye from the better half when pushing into a fourth hour on the couch watching TV.
But where a Folau holiday probably differs from most is the type of banter at the dinner table.
Such is the athletic pedigree of Folau and his new wife Maria — who is a netball star for New Zealand — there are some rarefied discussions required. Chiefly, this one: when the baby Folaus grow up — armed with super genes — who do they play for? Australia or New Zealand?
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“We have a laugh about that, it’s a bit of fun,” Folau admits.
Maria Folau — nee Tutaia — said recently her kids will wear Kiwi black but Folau isn’t so sure.
“I have always told her we can’t force the kids to represent a certain country,” Folau said.
“I have put the onus on the kids as to who they want to represent. That’s fair.”
But surely there’ll be a stuffed Wallaby or two thrown in the cot, right? On the sly?
“You know it,” Folau laughs. “Just get some green-and-gold going.”
How long Folau continues to wear the national colours himself will be a topic of much discussion this year — he’s off contract at the end of 2018 — but the star fullback knows one thing: this has the potential to be one of his best seasons, because of that holiday.
In what seemed sudden but had actually been arranged with Michael Cheika at the start of 2017, Folau withdrew from the Wallabies’ Spring Tour — and a $500,000 stint in Japan — to take a 10-week break.
It was the longest getaway for Folau since he started at the Storm as a 17-year-old.
The sporting power couple married in November and honeymooned in the Maldives, but the real highlight says Folau was just spending time together in the same postcode.
Such are the demands of their respective sporting careers on either side of the Tasman, the longest they’d ever spent together before summer was “probably a week and a half”.
“Most of our relationship was spent on the phone,” Folau said.
“It’s a luxury for us to have that time together because the last couple of years we had been travelling back and forth. So it was amazing to do and get right away from work, to take a break physically and mentally. I feel really refreshed and physically and mentally keen to pull on the boots and play a bit of footy now.”
But the decision of RA to give Folau — their highest-paid player — an in-season break wasn’t without criticism. No-one should withdraw for national duties, some argued.
But as professional sport increasingly grapples with mental health concerns, Folau said the importance of looking after an athlete’s emotional wellbeing can’t be understated.
“For me, it’s the most important thing actually,” he said.
“It overrides the physical aspects of the game and how you’re feeling fitness-wise and strength-wise. You are always going to work hard and train hard, but having that balance to make sure you are feeling good within yourself, it gives you the best opportunity to go out and perform.
“Some people have challenges off the field that definitely harm their mental wellbeing, and it can affect you on-field and make the situation worse.
“I have had a couple of young people I know who went through that bad cycle. At the end of the day, looking after your wellbeing is more important than playing any game.”
As is his way, Folau didn’t watch any footy while on break and only caught highlights of the Wallabies’ Spring Tour.
It’ll be another circus-year of speculation and lots of questioning about whether he’ll stick around for the Rugby World Cup in 2019. Good judges say he’ll stick around but there’s a financial dance between his agent and RA to perform first.
Folau is not anxious. He is a regular at this circus.
“I am pretty experienced at this now and over the years I have been through this a fair few times. It’s never been an issue for me or affected my game, really,” he said.
“I’d like to get it done as quick as we can obviously but you have to make sure things are right and put into place the way that I want it, and we can all end up happy.
“But at the moment I just thinking about the season ahead with the Tahs.”
And where to find a stuffed Wallaby. That might have to go in the contract.
Originally published as Israel Folau on importance of mental break, future, marriage and his kids’ trans-Tasman decision
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