Former Australia rugby talisman Israel Folau could be poised for a major career transition following reports he's in line to run as a Queensland candidate for the Senate.
Speculation has emerged a little less than two years after Folau had his Rugby Australia contract terminated for homophobic comments made on social media.
Folau, 32, remarked that "hell awaits" homosexuals unless they "repent" for their sins, which led to a legal battle with Rugby Australia before the matter was closed with a confidential settlement in December 2019.
That saw the full-back switch rugby codes for a second time as he joined Super League outfit Catalans Dragons, though he's since moved back to union after agreeing a two-year deal with Japanese club Shining Arcs.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported the former National Rugby League star is tipped to represent the United Australia Party (UAP), which was first formed by billionaire Clive Palmer in 2013.
The United Australia Party "would not confirm nor deny" Folau's position on their ticket after the window for nominations closed on Monday.
Senate candidates will be announced later this month, although it's difficult to envision how Folau would juggle a political career if he's scheduled to play in Japan's rebranded Rugby League One, which starts in January.
Palmer is invested in Southport Tigers, a third-tier Australian rugby league club whom Folau briefly represented earlier this year before agreeing to move back to Japan.
Fox Sports also reported Palmer—one of the richest people in Australia, with a net worth of around £2.8billion, according to Forbes —helped Folau's fight to register with Queensland Rugby League following his Dragons exit.
The 73-cap Wallaby formerly dazzled NRL fans while playing for the Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos at the beginning of his career, having also enjoyed a brief foray into Australian rules football.
It's almost three years to the day since Folau won the last of his Wallabies caps (Nov 24, 2018), and he remains the fourth-highest try scorer for Australia's union side after crossing the whitewash 37 times.
A potential reform to rugby's eligibility laws could grant the player an international reprieve, with the unions set to vote on a change later this month that could see him play for Tonga at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The change proposes to allow players to represent a second nation if they haven't won a Test cap for three years, and Minto-born Folau would qualify for Tonga through his parents.
