Old mates don’t recognise Israel Folau

His old rugby mates say they no longer recognise the new Israel Folau.

Former Wallaby Israel Folau. Picture: John Feder

Team Folau — the merry band of preachers, spinmeisters, lawyers and advisers in Israel Folau’s newly forged entourage — has raised eyebrows among some of his former rugby mates who fear their old friend has been so dramatically rebranded he “doesn’t sound like Izzy” any more.

One former close friend and rugby associate says Folau is a “gentle, simple man”. But under the influence of his new entourage he had been cast as the unlikely pin-up boy of Australia’s first test case on whether Australians’ statutory right to religious freedom trumps our contractual obligations to employers.

He said Folau’s posts to his huge following on Twitter and Instagram — the same platforms where he blew up his career with his “go to hell” post in April — had become unrecognisable under the watch of Folau’s newly ­appointed Melbourne PR team, Civic Reputation.

The rugby star’s usual weekly barrage of “Jesus Loves You” posts, he said, had been replaced in the past few months with polite shout-outs to his supporters.

MORE: Sponsors likely to be dragged into the Folau legal battle, which could last years

But it was Folau’s tweet on Sunday, he said, that was truly “surreal” when Folau backed up a call by ABC Drum presenter Julia Baird for an end to the “anonymous online attacks” directed at one of his critics, comedian Magda Szubanksi.

“Izzy wouldn’t have known who Julia Baird is and he definitely would never have heard of Magda,” the former friend said.

Another former rugby associate of Folau says the former rugby star is an easy target for religious freedom campaigners.

After growing up a Mormon, he now has the zeal of a convert to a particularly hardline brand of “fire and brimstone” Christianity after joining his father Eni’s “The Truth of Jesus Christ Church” in Kenthurst, in Sydney's northwest, two years ago.

He said the public statements issued by Folau #teamjesus in recent days no longer “sounds like the Izzy I know”, including his “heavily scripted” interviews with Sydney broadcaster Alan Jones.

Folau’s high wattage legal team — headed by the larger-than-life Melbourne barrister Stuart Wood QC — has also been the source of much speculation. Mr Wood, who famously sits for a new portrait of himself every year, is a polarising figure in the legal fraternity.

A number of employment lawyers who spoke with The Australian dismissed him as a member of the right-wing think tank the HR Nicholls Society and a close confidant of senior federal ministers, including Attorney-General Christian Porter.

His supporters say Mr Wood is a “brilliant” lawyer who was “hand-picked” for the job after his landmark win in the Federal Court in April when he successfully sued James Cook University over its unlawful sacking of marine biologist Peter Ridd.

The university claimed the professor’s criticism of colleagues' research on the impacts of climate change on the Great Barrier Reef were a breach if the university’s code of conduct. But the Federal Court ruled the university had “not understood the whole concept of intellectual freedom”.

One mystery man in Folau’s personal entourage is his chief “adviser”, former New Zealand lawyer Zeljan Unkovich.

Mr Unkovich did not respond to requests for an interview, but Folau insiders say he’s a “very close family friend” with a “good commercial mind”.