--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a playing group you don't go into the…" description: "\"As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking about whether you're the underdog or not.\" — Israel Folau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg" --- # As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking… ![“As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking about whether you're the underdog or not.” quote by Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg) > “As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking about whether you're the underdog or not.” [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Team mindset should ignore labels; focus on playing the game rather than status. **In simple terms:** Ignore underdog label, play the game. Key Takeaway Play without preconceptions. Themes teamwork mindset competition Mood analytical motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - sports matches - team projects - business competitions - group challenges Key Concepts role identity psychology of sport collective focus Questions to Reflect On - How does labeling affect your performance? - What strategies keep focus on the task? A Different Perspective Labels can affect confidence despite intent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Underdog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underdog/) ## Related quotes > [I started playing with a group of young people when I was 13. 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I have to, or I wouldn't enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-jeter/i-go-into-every-game-thinking-i-m-going-to-be-the-hero-i-have-to-or-i/) [Derek Jeter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-jeter/) > [My best asset to my game is my IQ. I play the game thinking the game first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/my-best-asset-to-my-game-is-my-iq-i-play-the-game-thinking-the-game/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [You don't go into a game thinking you might get hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zdeno-chara/you-don-t-go-into-a-game-thinking-you-might-get-hurt/) [Zdeno Chara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zdeno-chara/) > [When time is running out and the score is close, most players are thinking, I don't want to be the one to lose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-west/when-time-is-running-out-and-the-score-is-close-most-players-are/) [Jerry West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-west/) > [You don't go into a game thinking, 'I'm not confident.' You always think you're going to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-farrell/you-don-t-go-into-a-game-thinking-i-m-not-confident-you-always-think/) [Owen Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-farrell/) > [Mr. Speaker, for the last 5 years I have been working with a bipartisan group of my colleagues to make it illegal to continue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-blumenauer/mr-speaker-for-the-last-5-years-i-have-been-working-with-a-bipartisan/) [Earl Blumenauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-blumenauer/) > ['Botanicula' tells the story of a group of twigs, nuts, and leaves trying to escape with the life essence of a tree in tow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/botanicula-tells-the-story-of-a-group-of-twigs-nuts-and-leaves-trying/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [Mourinho is almost at his best when he is the underdog like you saw initially when he was at Porto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-hargreaves/mourinho-is-almost-at-his-best-when-he-is-the-underdog-like-you-saw/) [Owen Hargreaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-hargreaves/) > [The more people that learn about you, even if you're an underdog, then you can come under fire a lot and the more attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-way/the-more-people-that-learn-about-you-even-if-you-re-an-underdog-then/) [Gerard Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-way/) > [The lunatic fringe wags the underdog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/the-lunatic-fringe-wags-the-underdog/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) ## More by Israel Folau > [The whole AFL experience was important for me not only as an athlete but as a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/the-whole-afl-experience-was-important-for-me-not-only-as-an-athlete/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [I probably realized when I was maybe 13 years of age that I could make a living out of playing professional sport and from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/i-probably-realized-when-i-was-maybe-13-years-of-age-that-i-could/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [The last thing I want to do is force tries to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/the-last-thing-i-want-to-do-is-force-tries-to-happen/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [Just my relationship with people - my teammates, my family, my partner everything. I don't really know how to explain it, it's just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/just-my-relationship-with-people-my-teammates-my-family-my-partner/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [We used to do a lot of kick-catch work with Carlton, and it really taught us some great skills catching above our heads, off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/we-used-to-do-a-lot-of-kick-catch-work-with-carlton-and-it-really/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [All the materialistic things I have been able to have over the last number of years are slowly being taken away from me. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/all-the-materialistic-things-i-have-been-able-to-have-over-the-last/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [It was a really tough transition going from rugby league to AFL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/it-was-a-really-tough-transition-going-from-rugby-league-to-afl/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [Playing at fullback it's part of your role to get up and take those high balls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/playing-at-fullback-it-s-part-of-your-role-to-get-up-and-take-those/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [I've been watching a whole heap of video footage of different players on different teams and how different players get the football. 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I get a buzz out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/i-get-excited-when-the-ball-goes-up-in-the-air-i-try-to-always-get-up/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [I never had a special social media clause, I had a standard contract, the same as every other player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/i-never-had-a-special-social-media-clause-i-had-a-standard-contract/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [You don't want to do sevens just for the sake of going to the Olympics. its something you've got to want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/you-don-t-want-to-do-sevens-just-for-the-sake-of-going-to-the/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [I can't change what the word of God says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/i-can-t-change-what-the-word-of-god-says/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) > [I've just got to be a little bit cautious with my technique and all that sort of stuff, going into tackles. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/i-ve-just-got-to-be-a-little-bit-cautious-with-my-technique-and-all/) [Israel Folau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) [Explore all 66 Israel Folau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/) ## More Football quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) Brendan Mundorf > [Giggs is the realest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/giggs-is-the-realest/) [Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/) > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't really like too much credit. 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I can be a diamond; I can be a spade. Whatever you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-healy/wild-card-got-it-duncan-said-just-like-in-crazy-eights-i-can-be-a/) [Christopher Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-healy/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [I just enjoy winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-just-enjoy-winning/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) [Browse all 59,646 Football quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking about whether you're the underdog or not.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Israel Folau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the-game-thinking-about-whether/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Football" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the-game-thinking-about-whether/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/israel-folau-10368_football_as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the_702464.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a playing group you don't go into the game thinking about whether you're the underdog or not.” — Israel Folau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Israel Folau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israel-folau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a playing group you don't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the-game-thinking-about-whether/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israel-folau/as-a-playing-group-you-don-t-go-into-the-game-thinking-about-whether/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```