Rugby: Israel Folau opens up about drinking, partying

Wallabies Fullback Israel Folau scores a try. Photo / Nick Reed

Israel Folau has opened up about the battles he faced as a professional footballer.

The Wallabies fullback revealed he drank and partied to excess in his time in the NRL, particularly after moving from the Melbourne Storm to the Brisbane Broncos in 2009.

The 27-year-old admitted his ego got the better of him when he was a young rugby league star earning praise from all corners.

"I was taught some very good life lessons and morals as a young kid growing up," Folau said in an interview with 1News. "As soon as I achieved all those things, it kind of went out the window.

"I got caught up in all the party things and I guess I'd say my head was above the clouds.
"I just thought that I was untouchable.

"It got a lot worse when I moved back to Brisbane and played for the Broncos."

Folau debuted as a 17-year-old winger for the Storm, won a premiership and represented Queensland and Australia early on in his career. But while things looked rosy from the outside, away from the cameras, his life was spiralling out of control.

"It got really bad," Folau said. "I just got caught up in the alcohol, women and all that sort of stuff.

"I was almost like a different person.

"I just knew I was drifting away from the person I really was and in the end those things were too enticing for me to resist."

Folau was raised as a Mormon but admitted he didn't really embrace religion until he suffered a serious ankle injury in 2011. At around that time he made the huge decision to change codes, signing for AFL club the GWS Giants.

He played only 13 games for the Giants, with many viewing his signing as a marketing gimmick for the AFL's newest club rather than a reflection on his ability with the Sherrin.
Despite his lack of on-field success, Folau said his time in Sydney helped change his life for the better.

"The years I spent playing AFL were the best two years of my life in that it changed my life around," he said.

"I look at those two years as a huge blessing because it changed my mindset, it changed my perspective on the way I play sport, the way I look at life. Just my relationship with people - my teammates, my family, my partner everything.

"I don't really know how to explain it, it's just a peaceful feeling inside."

Now firmly entrenched in rugby union as a pivotal member of the Wallabies, Folau is under contract with the NSW Waratahs until 2018.