IT'S certainly the biggest story involving a water boy I can recall for a while.

Congratulations to colleague, Dean Ritchie, for finding out that AFL defector Israel Folau was going to be a runner for Tonga in their Parramatta Test against Samoa on Sunday and then going to the ARL's Geoff Carr for a comment.

(In case you missed it, Folau has been banned from filling the role due to his connections with the Greater Western Sydney AFL franchise and may even have to pay $25 at the gate to get in).

Earlier this year, the Australian Rugby League was angry that Folau was chosen by Queensland following his "defection" and furious the Maroons paid tribute him by giving him a goal kick in Origin III.

As regular readers of this column will know, the author cheers for Team Rugby League against its dastardly rivals at every turn. In fact, the author has almost zero interest in any other sport.

But this issue seems to have divided people almost down the middle and I can see why. On one hand, Izzy is being paid as a Trojan horse to push through the gates of western Sydney and also Polynesian Australia.

If you'll stick with my metaphor for a sec, why would Troy (rugby league) open its gates and wave him through?

But on the other hand, it's clearly a nonsense to say he is "not qualified" to be a trainer. What qualifications do Allan Langer and Geoff Toovey have?

And over the years, I can recall boxers and other athletes filling in as water boys for their favourite teams on occasion. Danny Green at Parramatta is one that comes to mind.

In the end, it's poignant that the day after the Folau affair, Lote Tuqiri is welcomed back into the Australia team just seven months out of rugby union.

One day, I am pretty sure, Izzy will be welcomed back in similar fashion and how will we look back then on the way we are treating him now?

The fact is, rugby league needs to decide what its approach to AFL and rugby union threats should be in this new era of players switching codes - and stick to it.

So even though I am a rugby league zealot, I think our response should be a good deal more measured in these situations.  The battles should be fought in junior clubs, schools and on advertising hoardings, television, radio, newspapers and the internet.

But when we decide how to treat those professionals who choose to be a professional elsewhere, we should look back at how our own people were victimised by rugby union in the last century.

We should remember our sport being made illegal in France by the Vichy government. We should remember how Jonathan Davies was threatened with a ban from entering Cardiff Arms Park as a commentator and how Ady Spencer was blocked from playing rugby union because he appeared in one amateur rugby league game

When we make these decisions, we should remember our game being banned from hundreds of council grounds around the world because of the political influence of the 15-man game.

And if we take those things into account, and we want to retain any sort of high moral ground as a "working man's game", then I think we will treat those who choose to leave us with a little more dignity.