Maria motivated by Israel’s battle
Maria Folau won’t let her husband Israel’s battle to save his Australian rugby career derail her own push for success.
Maria Folau won’t let her husband Israel’s battle to save his Australian rugby career derail her own push for success, says the coach charged with stopping her this weekend.
Israel Folau will face a Rugby Australia code of conduct hearing on Saturday to try and stop his multimillion-dollar contract being torn up after posting inflammatory social media messages claiming homosexuals were going to hell.
Just 24 hours later his wife will take to the netball court with the Adelaide Thunderbirds against the NSW Swifts at Olympic Park in Sydney.
Swifts coach Briony Akle warned Folau would “turn it on”.
“Maria will be a force on Sunday no matter what happens on Saturday,’’ Akle said. “She will turn out. She will turn it on. It might even motivate her.”
While Maria has not publicly expressed the same views as her husband, she too is deeply religious and often posts Bible passages to social media. She hasn’t distanced herself from her husband’s stance and, in the aftermath to a homophobic post by the Wallabies star a year ago, Maria wrote on Instagram: “Stand with God no matter what … Don’t be afraid to stand up for the truth, even if that means you will be standing alone.”
Israel’s latest social media rant that “drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators” will go to hell unless they repent has Rugby Australia ready to terminate his contract following the code of conduct hearing.
Maria Folau, a New Zealand international, made her Super Netball debut with Adelaide last weekend. “I think she will play 60 great minutes,” Akle said. “She’s a professional.’’
Folau hasn’t faced any hostility in the wake of her husband’s stance. “We are an inclusive sport, which means that anyone, regardless of gender, religious belief, age, race or sexual orientation should experience an environment that allows them to participate without discrimination,” Netball South Australia chief executive Bronwyn Klei said.
Akle said she doesn’t expect to see any hostility from the crowd come Sunday.
The Daily Telegraph
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