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Israel Folau’s camp has claimed that a return to the NRL with Wests Tigers had been cleared before an intervention by a member of the ARL Commission put paid to his comeback bid.
In a video posted on social media, Folau and his wife, Maria, accused the NRL of double standards after a potential train-and-trial deal with the Tigers and coach Benji Marshall failed to happen.
Folau, 37, has been pitched to several NRL clubs by his management as a potential mid-season signing after ending his stint in Japanese rugby union, with the cross-code international eyeing a return to rugby league 16 years after leaving the NRL.
Maria Folau claimed in an Instagram post on Thursday that Israel had been cleared to take up a short-term deal with the Tigers, before being told long-time ARL Commissioner Wayne Pearce had intervened to block the move.
According to Maria Folau’s post, Marshall had raised the prospect of Israel being signed by the Tigers and been told that “it was all good for Izzy to come and play in the NRL.”
Folau then claimed that Pearce had blocked the move. Pearce and the NRL declined to comment on Thursday afternoon.
“His reasoning behind not wanting Izzy to play is because of inclusiveness, whatever that means, and then also that it would be a bad look to have Izzy back in the game,” Maria Folau said.
“Then an associate of ours got in contact with Wayne Pearce by text, and it was the same thing – that Izzy wasn’t welcome to play.
“We were told by Benji that he was still keen to have Izzy back on board and that he [was] going to try and get a contract lodged, and that the [Tigers] board were meeting on Sunday to talk about the situation.
“We’ve been told that the Tigers are no longer going to lodge a contract because of the media pressure. There’d be a distraction for the club and then also pressure from elsewhere”.
The Tigers declined to comment, referring the Herald to Marshall’s blunt response of “we’re not signing him” when asked about the Folau negotiations at a press conference last week.
Folau left the NRL in 2010 for a stint in the AFL as a marquee signing at Greater Western Sydney Giants, before switching to rugby and carving out a 73-Test career for the Wallabies.
He played his last Test for the Wallabies in 2018 before having his contract with Rugby Australia terminated in 2019 over controversial social media posts.
Folau explored an NRL return in 2021 with the Dragons, but the joint-venture’s board decided not to pursue his signature after backlash to the potential signing.
Folau shared his wife’s post and commented on it on Thursday, saying: “The double standard from the @nrl is crazy. The game talks about inclusion, yet my Christian beliefs were said to be a problem and didn’t align with their values.
“At the same time, players who’ve committed actual offences have been welcomed back. Make it make sense.”
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