Greater Western Sydney GIANTS forward Israel Folau says his sights are set squarely on this Saturday’s NAB Cup match against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium.

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Speaking to the media before training, Folau said he had taken some  a lot of positives out of last week’s Round 1 NAB Cup clashes against Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs and is eager to test himself in a full-length game.

“It was a good hit out for me and I can improve from here on.  I’ve looked at the tapes with the coaches and picked out some positives that I can take away,” he said.

“I’d like to go out there and play the best that I can but I’m not too worried about my immediate performance… I just need to worry about what’s ahead and focus on what I can do on the training track each week.

“That was our first hit out as a team and everyone is really excited about playing a full game as a team against Hawthorn.”

Folau will head to Launceston with his teammates on Friday and says that the young team will only improve as they get to know each other’s game styles and match day roles.

“We will take some time to know how each other play and what our roles are. When we have played more games as a team we will only get better.

“I have really improved my knowledge of the game, I’ve said before that the best way for me to learn is to get out there and play the game.”

Folau said he was looking forward to seeing champions like Hawthorn’s Lance “Buddy” Franklin up close.

“I’ve seen a few games of Buddy (Franklin) before and he’s done some freaky stuff so it will be great to see what he can do on the field on Saturday,” Folau said.

By Rebecca Mills