The door is open for Israel Folau to make a return to the NRL after league chief Andrew Abdo confirmed he would consider a formal application as part of due process.
Folau’s controversial past will form part of the considerations should St George Illawarra submit a formal application for him to join the club on a two-year deal.
It is understood Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb and Abdo have had private conversations over several weeks about bringing Folau back to the game in Australia, although no formal application has been submitted.
The NRL has previously indicated the door was shut for the 31-year-old former Queensland and Australia star to make a return.
However, the governing body would legally need to consider any application put forward by the Dragons and assess it on merit.
“Any player or official needs to be registered with the NRL and that process involves a number of diligence matters and that includes an assessment of the individual and that will take place,” Abdo said on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to pre-empt what may or may not happen, it’s pure speculation at the moment because we don’t have a formal application, but when someone does make an application, of course there are professional factors that are taken into account and that will include things that have happened, I suppose, throughout his career and all of that needs to be weighed into our decision.”
Abdo confirmed NRL sponsorships and the game’s fans will also be part of the considerations concerning a possible Folou return.
“Our process around being fair to the athlete is first and foremost what the consideration will be, but any decision you make, you need to think about the fans and you need to think about your investors and sponsors and all of that will be taken into account,” he said.
“But ultimately it’s the NRL’s decision.”
Folau has been playing rugby league for Catalans and is contracted to them for the upcoming Super League season. The Dragons insist they have had no formal approaches for the player and are preparing for him to return to France in the coming weeks. “I can’t say this enough: he is a Catalans Dragons player, and he’s contracted and registered with us until November,” Alex Chan, the club’s chief executive, told the Guardian.
“Unless we are contacted and enquiries are made officially, there’s nothing to report really. Nothing has changed from our end. We’ve put no pressure on him to return because of his family issues, and we’re fully supportive of him and will give him the time and respect he needs before welcoming him back.”
Chan says Catalans have informed Folau to “take as long as he needs” to deal with the issues which saw him return to Australia in the off-season. When asked if they had received any enquiries over his availability, Chan said: “No. Again, he’s a contracted player. He’s our player. There will always be rumours flying around when you’ve immense player like Izzy, but he’s with us until the end of November as far as we’re concerned.”
It is believed St George Illawarra would follow the same process as the Catalans if they were to draft a contract, which would see Folau bound by strict social media clauses.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys has previously spoken of Folau’s potential to return to the NRL, and was asked at his initial press conference upon taking on the role in 2019.
“The game is inclusive. Israel’s comments are not inclusive,” V’landys said at the time. “When I was a kid and kids used to get bashed up because they were different, I used to go and defend them.
“And a lot of them, it’s because their role models or their peers made them that way. I have no tolerance for people that put other people’s lives [at risk] or [commit] violence. It’s a big statement to make.
“With due respect to Israel, what he says, young kids listen to. He is a role model. They act on it. And when you’re a kid at school and you get bashed up because you’re different, I don’t think that’s a good thing.”
