An imperiously consistent Test season from Folau saw him claim the Wallabies’ highest honour ahead of skipper Michael Hooper, prop James Slipper and fast-finishing centre Tevita Kuridrani.
Folau played every minute of the 15 Tests from the start of the 2013 Spring Tour to last weekend’s Bledisloe Cup and though he only won players’ player in two Tests, the star fullback still harvested votes in every single game with his attacking dominance.
Folau said he was “honoured and privileged” to win the award, and perhaps noteworthy after a tumultuous fortnight of coaching movement in Australian rugby, singled out Waratahs and new Wallabies coach Michael Cheika for thanks.
“Without an overall performance from the team I wouldn’t be here. I just like the variety about what rugby brings, you’re always thinking throughout the 80 minutes,” Folau said.
“I’m hungry to learn and have had a great coach in Cheik. I’m honoured to have him on board at the Wallabies.
“On a personal note I want to be a consistent player and that’s what I strive to be every time I step on the field.”
Just as Folau (314 votes) was streets ahead of Hooper (232), Slipper (208) and Kuridrani (202), no-one in the Wallabies came close to Folau’s eye-popping stats. In those 15 Tests, the 25-year-old scored the most tries (8), and had the most tackles busts (76), linebreaks (22), and offloads (38), and second-most linebreak assists (7).
A player logging up over 100 metres in run metres in Test rugby is an impressive — and not common — feat and yet Folau did it a staggering 11 times from 15 Tests to notch up almost 2 kilometres of run metres in 15 Tests.
Folau became only the fourth back in 13 years to win the John Eales medal, following Chris Latham, Matt Giteau and Kurtley Beale.
Interestingly, the award comes after Folau finished a bizarrely low 12th in player voting for the Matt Burke medal for the Waratahs’ top prize.
But that was remedied somewhat with Folau sharing the Australian Super Rugby player of the year award with Hooper.
Brumbies lock Sam Carter was named Wallabies Rookie of the Year, while Melbourne backrower Sean McMahon backed up a Wallaby tour squad call-up with three awards: Under 20s player of the year, NRC player of the year and Super Rugby rookie of the year.
New Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was named coach of the year for leading the Waratahs to a maiden Super Rugby title. The Tahs won team of the year.
Emilee Cherry and Cameron Clark won the women’s and men’s sevens player of the year respectively.
FINAL TALLY
1. Israel Folau (314)
2. Michael Hooper (232)
3. James Slipper (208)
4. Tevita Kuridrani (202)
5. Stephen Moore (98)
well done Israel the AFL failure!
you left the game of NRL at the peak of the game, went to AFL and proven to be an unskilled unco, went back to the form of rugby union and represented Australia and even won the John eales medal!
so well done, in those efforts in proving that AFL is a superior game than the game of rugby
rugby, union/league/....
AFL 
liar extraordinaire 
