GWS Giants coach Kevin Sheedy believes rugby league convert Israel Folau will prove the bookmakers wrong in his debut AFL season.
Sportsbet.com.au has framed a market on the number of goals the former Storm and Broncos superstar will kick in 2012, with 0-10 the favourite option at $1.80.
The 22-year-old is paying $7 to kick 21-30 majors and a generous $21 to boot 31-40 goals.
But Sheedy, who declared Folau a certain starter for the season-opening blockbuster against the Swans on March 24, expects the code-hopper to surprise pundits and fans alike in his rookie season.
"He's a player that every time you present a challenge he lifts to it to have a go at it," Sheedy said at ANZ Stadium on Friday.
"If he kicks two goals a game and plays every game that's 40-odd, that's a pretty good effort in his first year."
"I think Israel's become a better player through the training obviously, he kicked over 30 goals last year and probably would have kicked 40 if I hadn't have played him down the back half for four or five games."
"He'll play all the NAB Cup games to get him to playing against AFL standard players, and that's a hell of a lot different to playing the NEAFL which is the league we were playing in last year."
Folau says he's more excited than nervous 50 days out from his senior debut.
"It's a pretty exciting time for myself in my career to take on something that I'm not too familiar with," Folau said.
"It's been a big 12 months and I'm just looking forward to letting it all out in a few weeks when we start playing."
"I'm going to go out there and try and perform as best as I can in my first game, it's going to be a long year for myself learning wise but I'm looking forward to taking on the challenge."
Quizzed on his own expectations for 2012, the former Queensland Origin and Kangaroos said replied: "I haven't set any real goals for myself but I guess at this minute I'd like to be there for the first game and try and play as well as I can."
He added when asked the main areas of his game he needs to work on to get up to AFL standard: "Probably the biggest one is reading the game and knowing where to be before it actually happens."
"That's probably the biggest part of my learning so far and that's going to continue for a while I guess."
"The only way I'll get familiar with that is when I'm playing the game so I can't wait to get out there and start playing and learn more about the game."
Swans superstar Adam Goodes said of Folau: "I think the way I see Izzy, he's just like any first-year player ... if he was in my team I'd hate to put any expectations on him other than to go out there and play his role."
"He's going to be playing in the forward line and he'll just be wanting to create a contest up there for his other midfielders and forwards to get underneath him ... and if he takes a couple of marks and gets a couple of goals a game for me that's him playing his role."
Meanwhile, the best player on ground in the inaugural Sydney derby will be presented with the Brett Kirk Medal, named in honour of the former Swans stalwart.