What does the captain of the Australian Wallabies rugby team and Collingwood midfielder Adam Treloar have in common?

Well, they’ve both shared the field with rugby player and former AFL convert, Israel Folau.

For the Wallabies’ skipper Stephen Moore, he and Folau are national teammates and have represented Australia on the rugby union world stage in a combined 169 tests.

Treloar and Folau were also teammates – albeit in a different sport – when the former Brisbane Bronco joined the AFL’s second expansion club, the Greater Western Sydney Giants in 2011.

The pair weren’t only teammates; with the former Giants were also roommates during Folau’s time at the club.

“When he first got to the Giants, I lived with him for the first couple of months. I started to figure out some of his mannerisms – he’s a very, very nice guy,” Treloar explained on his Collingwood Media vodcast 'Sports Galore'. 

iTunes: CLICK HERE to listen to Sports Galore with Adam Treloar.

“I reckon if he was still playing (AFL), he would have definitely made something out of himself.

“The last game Folau played – I got to play with him – and he played exceptionally well. But I think his heart was always in rugby.”

However, according to Treloar, the one thing that may have hindered the rugby fullback’s AFL career was his endurance running.

“Being in the rugby environment and then to come into the footy environment – running would be the hardest thing for you guys - and we used to do a 3km time trial at the Giants.”

“The worst 3km time trial at the time would probably be an 11 minute flat, and I remember when Izzy did his first time 3km trial…15 minutes had ticked over and he still had a lap to go and was still running.

“The poor guy. It got to the point where our sports science guy was running with him and ended up beating him,” Treloar teased.

And while the Magpies speedster says he can complete a 2km time trial in “about 6.50 minutes”, the Wallabies captain admitted he’d definitely “still be going” on the track if he was to take up the challenge.



However, when it comes to the battle of strength, Moore and his rugby colleagues may have Treloar’s number.

“I can bench press 160kgs…and can leg press about 150. Some of my teammates would be bench pressing 230kgs,” the Wallabies captain said.

You can catch the Australian Wallabies in action against Fiji this Saturday at Aami Park, while Collingwood meets Melbourne at the MCG in its annual Queen’s Birthday match on Monday afternoon.

You can also listen to the full vodcast below, with topics including:

- Moore’s international upbringing (1:10)
- Playing through serious injury (1:45)
- Another Darcy Moore in the world (3:15)
- The world’s best stadiums (4:30)
- Experiencing the haka (5:30)
- The jumper-punch (6:30)
- Comparing PBs in the weights room (8:30)
- Proud moments in Perth (9:35)
- Travel tips from a Wallaby (11:00)
- Sharing Israel Folau stories (12:35) and more