I just saw the first Mormon ad to feature high profile league player, and grand final winner with the mighty Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Will Hopoate. Sharp. They’re a great ad for Manly. And, like all the ads in this campaign, are visually appealing and tightly produced.
There was a higher profile League star than Hopoate – Dizzy Izzy Folau. Israel has been out of the spotlight in the last year because he made a big money switch to AFL. To a team that doesn’t exist yet.
Luckily the Mormons didn’t feature Israel in their ads. Because he recently turned his back on the cult, publicly, during this campaign.
And here’s what he had to say… and that, friends, is how to harpoon a campaign.
“I had a personal experience with the holy spirit touching my heart,” Folau told AAP.
“I’ve never felt that before while I was involved in the Mormon church – until I came to the AOG church and accepted Christ.
“It’s been an amazing experience for me personally and I know a lot of people on the outside have been saying stuff about why we left.
“And some people (are) assuming that we left because of money, and all that sort of stuff.
“I know for myself that it wasn’t.
“But I guess at the moment, the people on the outside don’t really know the main reason why we left.”
The 22-year-old instigated the change himself after researching the history of Mormonism, and said the move was easy to make.
Folau’s friends have been understanding and supportive for the most part, but he admits it has been hard on a few of them.
God will play a large role in Folau’s life as he attempts to secure a berth in the Giants’ side for their season opener against Sydney.