JOHN Quinn knows athletes. Knows what makes them. Knows how to perfect them.
So when the veteran fitness coach and sports science guru says AFL convert Israel Folau possesses a combination of strength and speed never seen in the game, it's significant.
Australia's track and field coach at the Sydney Olympics, Quinn has joined the Greater Western Sydney revolution under close mate Kevin Sheedy, who he worked with at Essendon for 10 years.
Quinn was mindful of putting added pressure on the NRL star turned GWS Giant, but couldn't resist predicting that Folau would change the way football is played.
"He's got explosivity (sic) I haven't seen in the AFL," Quinn said. "His ability to just go from zero to full pace, I've never seen that.
"There is certainly not a defender, if we were to start him in defence, that has his speed and strength. There's no one who comes close to where he's at.
"His tackling is obviously second to none. His instinctive defensive fends . . . I think he's going to breathe new thought into how we play our game."
Folau's highly anticipated AFL debut has been delayed as he continues to recover from an achilles injury and he will miss Saturday's NAB Cup matches against Gold Coast and Sydney in Blacktown.
But while the footy world remains focused on fellow league defector Karmichael Hunt, Folau is going about his business impressively.
The former Melbourne Storm and Brisbane brute has stripped 5kg from his frame through a cross-training program and has started the process of reshaping his body to better suit the AFL game.
His endurance levels are improving each week and his ball handling is said to be excellent.
"If we are even half successful -- and I'm more confident than that -- Israel could indeed be the prototype of the AFL player of the future," Quinn said.
"If rotations stay in this format, to have that explosive, dynamic, muscular body like Israel Folau . . . they could look back and say, that's where that change in the game started."
Folau, who will wear the No.4 jumper made famous in Sydney by AFL leading goalkicker Tony Lockett, has played down his development.
"I am slowly getting there with the skills, and I'm certainly improving from the time I first got here," Folau said.
"There is still a long way to go for myself personally. The positive thing is that I have got the whole year to work on it. Next year is the big year."
The 21-year-old's AFL education is being conducted by some of the best teachers in the game. Port Adelaide premiership coach Mark Williams and former AFL-AIS high performance coach Alan McConnell have been influential, while new list manager Stephen Silvagni has taken the player under his wing.
"To have the best full-back we've ever had as a mentor is only going to help him," Quinn said.
"He's got a good team behind him and he's in a side where the expectation is to learn.
"It's a pretty good bet that he's going to make it."