Folau is under contract with Catalans Dragons for 2021; the 32-year-old former Kangaroo and State of Origin centre has lodged an application to the Queensland Rugby League to play in the local Gold Coast competition
Friday 21 May 2021 06:34, UK
Plans for Australia dual-code international Israel Folau to resume his playing career on the Gold Coast have come as a surprise to his Super League club Catalans Dragons.
Subject to Queensland Rugby League (QRL) approval, Folau will play with his two brothers for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast amateur competition with the backing of team patron, billionaire-mining magnate and former politician Clive Palmer.
Palmer said he would fund legal action in support of Folau should the QRL refuse to approve the 32-year-old's player registration.
"My commitment to Israel Folau to ensure that he can play football again is rock solid," he told a news conference in Brisbane on Friday.
"I would pledge every cent, every dollar, and every waking moment of my time to ensure that he takes the field again."
Catalans coach Steve McNamara said on Thursday that he was in the dark about Folau's plans to not return to the Dragons.
"I've not heard that," McNamara said. "There is no change in the current situation as far as we're concerned.
"We have him registered as a player and, if his circumstances change and he was able to come back, we'd facilitate that. He's welcome back but at the minute it's not on the horizon."
Catalans said they would demand a transfer fee for the player if Folau found an NRL club.
Folau, who joined the Dragons as a free agent in January 2020, was courted earlier this year by NRL club St George Illawarra, who dropped their interest after encountering fierce opposition to the proposed signing of a player who was sacked by Rugby Australia in 2019 over homophobic comments he posted on social media.
Asked about the social media post on Friday, Folau said he stood by "the Bible and what the Bible says, every written word that's written in that book, I stand by that and that's all I'll say about that".
"At the moment I'm just excited about joining Southport and playing alongside my brothers, that's something I've never done in my career," he added.
