Tongan pair Peni Mahini and Simote Taunga, the 16-year-old relatives of Folau, have attracted attention throughout the competition for their link to the AFL's latest high-profile recruit.
Mahini, an athletic centre half-back, was one of the best against Queensland recently while Taunga, who according to AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan is a "dead ringer" for Folau, has shown great potential.
"Mahini's a great athlete and he's really competitive with the way he goes about it," the AFL's national community development manager Dean Warren told afl.com.au. "Simote is a little bit further away from a development point of view but has great athletic ability; his skills are just a little bit off the others at this point in time.
"They've only played less than 10 games but if they stick at it, Peni in particular with a bit of development and a really good program, has the athleticism and the raw ability to do it.
"Whether they take that opportunity is yet to be seen. The AFL needs to continue to provide them with the opportunities and the development pathway to realise that, and hopefully a number of AFL clubs have seen them play now."
Both boys, who live on the main Tongan island, have been interested in the game for over a year; well before Folau made his decision to switch codes last month.
They played in the first Youth Oceania Cup last December, and before that, were introduced to the game through Mahini's father, who ran football clinics in Tonga that eventually influenced the national team's selection.
The youngsters are eagerly following Folau's development as he nears his entry into the AFL system when he joins 18th team Greater Western Sydney at the end of this year.
"Kevin Sheedy spoke to them the other night at dinner and they certainly asked what he thought of Israel crossing to our game," Warren said.
"They were listening intently and Kevin outlined that because he has a real commitment and really strong work ethic to develop his skills, the [the transition] is certainly possible.
"I think Israel has really emphasised to them the opportunities this game provides."
