Israel Folau on Gold Coast rugby league: What’s next for the former NRL star
Tom Tate has forgiven Israel Folau for his long history of homophobia and hate speech - but just who gave him the right? JOIN THE CONVERSATION >>>
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
COMMENT: BY BRIANNA MORRIS-GRANT
It is not Tom Tate’s place to forgive Israel Folau.
We’re talking about the immediate reaction to the former league, union and AFL star being backed by Clive Palmer’s Southport Tigers team in the Gold Coast’s rugby league comp.
The Gold Coast Mayor told the Bulletin on Friday: “Forgiveness is a great quality to have … whether it is in sport or life.”
I agree – but Israel Folau hasn’t done anything to earn anybody’s forgiveness.
Let’s imagine a scenario.
You’re 10 years old, and someone walks up to you on the playground. Without warning he spits in your face and walks away. Another kid says, “I forgive you.” The incident is forgotten.
A week later, that same kid walks up to you and spits in your face again. This time he turns around and proclaim to the other kids on the playground: “This kid is going to hell.” Again, someone else (with zero spit on their face) says, “I forgive you.” The incident is forgotten.
The next week – just to really beat a dead horse with this analogy – the same kid walks up, spits in your face, insults you, then starts putting up signs all over the playground telling everyone how disgusting you are, what a freak. Every kid in school sees the signs.
Finally a teacher cracks it and sends them home – but the rest of the kids on the playground turn to you and say: “But can’t you forgive him?”
The worst part of it – and I’m asking readers here to really contemplate this – is when he comes crawling back to the school gates with his tail between his legs, he can’t even promise he won’t do it all over again.
I am a lesbian and proud of it.
I went through my formative years knowing I wasn’t allowed to marry, and I was thankfully a more thick-skinned uni student when the same-sex marriage plebiscite brought the disgusting beliefs of Folau and everyone who shares them to the forefront of our daily lives.
For many people it represents extreme trauma – being forced to justify their lives, their family’s lives daily in a way someone like Folau will never, ever have to as a straight man.
I remember interviewing a man who told me very, very politely how same-sex marriage would lead to children being preyed on, men marrying dogs, and the “family unit” being destroyed.
My phone call with him lasted almost 30 minutes – he called back several hours past my deadline, a fact which couldn’t stop him talking – and in that time he never raised his voice or became aggressive towards me.
But I hung up the phone feeling absolutely numb and devastated. How could this polite man harbor such hate?
If I had been brave enough to tell him I was gay, how different would our conversation have been?
Mayor Tate will forgive me then, if I’m not feeling very forgiving towards Israel Folau and a sports community which seems ready to let “bygones be bygones” and welcome him back into the fold for the sake of a few points on a scoreboard.
Queer young people are almost three times as likely to have attempted suicide in the last 12 months.
Transgender Australians are fifteen times more likely than their cis peers to attempt suicide in their lifetime.
That is an unacceptable statistic. Anyone who invites more hate towards that community has blood on their hands.
I am not a 10-year-old child on a playground. Israel Folau is not a kid who has spat in my face. But make no mistake, it’s only a matter of time before he says something else despicable, and what he says matters in the worst way possible.
This is the Gold Coast – there are so many incredible role models here. There are so many people fighting to change the world and leave their mark on it in a positive way.
Why, then, are our city leaders asking us to forgive someone who has only done us harm? Why are our local clubs saying he’s “done his time”?
Does being able to run fast or kick a ball good really outweigh the bile Folau has spewed in the past or the beliefs he now represents?
It is not Tom Tate’s job to forgive Israel Folau. It is not the job of any club president. It is not Clive Palmer’s job either.
But it is their job to look at him and say: “This is not the message we want to send to our gay community. It is not the message we want to send to our children. It is not the message we want to send to the rest of Australia.”
Your call, guys. Have a think.
MAY 25: BOARD MEETING TO DETERMINE FOLAU’S FATE
By Callum Dick
QUEENSLAND Rugby League’s looming board meeting to determine whether Israel Folau will be granted permission to play for the Southport Tigers will be the second-such high-profile vote in just nine months.
Another polarising ex-NRL star also had his case heard – and ultimately accepted – by the QRL late last year.
Ben Barba’s return to community rugby league was green lit by the QRL, and subsequently the Rugby League Mackay and District board, in August 2020 – the former Dally M Medal winner and Super League’s Man of Steel cleared to play for Mackay club Norths Devils in last year’s A-Grade competition.
REVEALED: Folau’s massive salary to play park footy
That decision was handed down in the same week Barba avoided criminal convictions being recorded following a drunken assault on his brother-in-law at a Mackay pub in February 2020.
In a statement from the QRL on Friday, the governing body confirmed it had received an application from Southport to register Folau. “QRL is currently considering the Tigers’ application, in line with its rules and processes that govern the registration of players,” the statement read.
– ANALYSIS: Callum Dick
Why Folau’s Coast deal ‘sends a message that homophobia is OK’
GOLD Coast Mayor Tom Tate is happy to forgive outspoken star Israel Folau – set to return to sport on a $250,000 contract with a club-level Gold Coast rugby league side – but a city LGBTIQA+ group is not feeling so charitable.
Folau confirmed in Brisbane on Friday morning that he will be playing with the Clive Palmer-backed Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast A-grade competition.
It would mark a surprising return to the field for the former league, union and AFL star who had his Rugby Australia contract terminated in 2019 following controversial social media posts.
One Instagram post listed homosexuals and atheists among adulterers, liars, drunks, thieves, idolaters and fornicators as people who “Hell awaits”.
Cr Tate told the Bulletin on Friday: “Forgiveness is a great quality to have … whether it is in sport or life.”
But Gold Coast Rainbow Communities director Vince Siciliani didn’t agree and said rugby league can do more to include the LGBTIQA+ community in the sport and that the Gold Coast deserves better.
“We’re very disappointed that the Southport Tigers would promote an openly homophobic person like Israel Folau,” he said. “This sends a message to our kids that homophobia is acceptable and that LGBTIQA+ people are not welcome in sport.
“Our kids look for role models and rugby league plays a very big role on the Gold Coast.”
At his return-to-league announcement on Friday, Folau couldn’t guarantee he’d keep his controversial opinions away from social media and said he stands “by the bible and what it says”.
REVEALED: Folau’s massive salary to play park footy
Folau’s inclusion into the league has to be signed off by the competition’s board and billionaire Palmer vowed to sue anyone who opposed his new player’s return to the game.
Fellow local clubs said they’d be happy to see Folau running around in the competition.
Mudgeeraba Redbacks president Aleki Betham said the rugby star had “done his time”.
“It’s not like this hasn’t happened before, or like it doesn’t happen at other clubs in other regions. It’s just that it’s Israel Folau, that’s why it’s news,” he said.
“Why he was fired from his last gig would be the detraction but having someone like that on your scope and a junior kid coming through seeing this guy playing is only going to help the younger ones.”
Burleigh Bears president Paul Khan said: “I think he would create a lot of interest.
“He’s a world-class player. He would definitely give the competition a boost because it’s struggling at the moment,” he said.
“There’s plenty of players in local competitions around the country that have done a lot worse than what Israel’s done.”
Pointless: The reality of Folau’s shock Coast footy switch
ISRAEL Folau will be worth as much as anyone off the street should Queensland Rugby League sign off on his footy return with the Southport Tigers.
Under Rugby League Gold Coast’s player points policy, Folau will cost Southport zero player points to sign and play with the club this season.
Rugby League Gold Coast chairman Peter Daley explained the player points system was put in place to stop clubs poaching players from rivals by simply offering them more money to play elsewhere.
REVEALED: Folau’s massive salary to play park footy
Under the system, a player who played four or more A-Grade games on the Gold Coast the previous season counts for 30 player points to a club’s cap.
Gold Coast representative players moving from one club to another are worth 35 points, while there are further cap hits for clubs fielding state league players aligned with Burleigh and Tweed, with provisions in place to keep the competition as even as possible.
Players returning to their junior club bypass these rules and can be signed for zero points.
Every club’s player points cap is set to 120 points, with allowances given to new A-Grade clubs and the previous year’s wooden spooner.
“If you finish last the previous year you get a cap of 150. If you’re a new club, for the first two years you get 150 points,” Daley explained.
“Other than that, it’s 120 points.”
Because Folau has never played club football on the Gold Coast, if his bid to return to rugby league is successful, he will not contribute any points to Southport’s player total.
Daley said the system was set up to stop clubs poaching rival players and to instead look elsewhere for talent.
“Not a lot of clubs use up all their points. They shop out of town which is what we encourage them to do,” he said.
First Folau, now another outspoken NRL star set for Coast footy
ISRAEL Folau’s rugby league return on the Gold Coast is set to be followed by the signing of another outspoken former NRL star, as the footy community’s rumour mill goes into overdrive.
Players, coaches and administrators across the Coast have for the past two weeks followed the developments at Southport, readying for the announcement of a big-name player – but it wasn’t Folau.
Former Australia and NSW State of Origin representative Tony Williams is another former NRL star mooted to join Southport, as the club builds a big-name player base to ready an A-Grade title tilt.
Williams, 32, had his contract with North American Rugby League club New York Freedom torn up earlier this month, following comments he made in support of former teammate Jarryd Hayne, after Hayne was jailed for sexual assault.
It came barely a week after Williams became the fledgling competition’s most high-profile signing.
Williams has 170 NRL caps to his name spanning playing stints with Parramatta, Manly, Canterbury and Cronulla between 2008 and 2018.
RLGC chairman Peter Daley said he knew of the link between Southport and Williams though there had been no formal registration process as yet.
“I believe he has signed there, yeah,” Daley said.
Currumbin Eagles president Pat Asquith disagreed that Folau alone would push Southport to the premiership, before adding Williams’ name to the conversation.
“At the end of the day it’s one player,” Asquith said.
“But I’ve heard Tony Williams is also a possibility. That’s still only one or two players.”
Burleigh Bears A-Grade coach Matt Foster welcomed the prospect of facing a Southport team featuring both Folau and Williams.
“If they have players in there like Israel and Tony Williams, we’ll have a crack.”
Southport president Tim Mahoney would not return The Bulletin’s calls on Friday.
Dramatic final twist to decide Folau’s fate in Coast footy
ISRAEL Folau’s bold bid to return to rugby league via the Southport Tigers will twice go to a vote before he is allowed to set foot on a Gold Coast footy field.
Rugby League Gold Coast chairman Peter Daley told News Corp his board would be hands-off on Folau’s rugby league reinstatement until after the Queensland Rugby League board meets for a vote at the end of the month.
His comments come as Southport backer Clive Palmer threatened to sue anyone who blocked the 32-year-old’s return to the field.
REVEALED: Folau’s massive salary to play park footy
“The QRL will have a board meeting on the 31st of this month so it will go to their board that day and basically if they say yes, then it’s up to us,” Daley said.
“Obviously if the QRL approves it they’ll have their reasons and we’ll listen to them and if they don’t, they’ll have their reasons as well.
“Bear in mind the NRL has passed him up.
“But at the moment I can’t tell you either way what we would do. (The QRL) has all the paperwork in front of them. They know more than what we do.”
Daley said the league had not yet communicated with Southport.
“I don’t know what their plans are. We have to sit down and talk to Southport to understand what’s unfolding,” he said.
Daley was of no doubt that if Folau’s bid was greenlit by the QRL and RLGC boards, he would become the highest profile player to ever play in the competition.
“He would have to be the highest profile person that the league has signed,” Daley said.
“I think he’s still only 32, so he’s still obviously got a lot to offer any sport, not just ours.”
‘Develop your own boys’: Brutal Coast takedown of Folau
Israel Folau has come out swinging in his attempt to join Rugby League Gold Coast club Southport Tigers - and now rivals have had their say.
WHAT CLUB PRESIDENTS THINK >>>
Wayne Court (Helensvale Hornets)
“It doesn’t bother me at all. You play whoever is on the other side of the field.
“All clubs have … some ex-NRL players playing in their squad. The boys would probably get a bit of a thrill playing against Izzy.
“He’d definitely be a big addition to their (Southport’s) side, but he’s still just one player. He’d just be the bloke you’d be putting a focus on and marking up on.”
Graham Gleeson (Runaway Bay Seagulls)
“My initial reaction? A high-profile player to our area is good. But under the circumstances they still have to get through the system (to let him play).
“It’s good to have him in the league profile-wise, just not the way it’s happened.
“It’s definitely a platform to get to the next level. Everyone’s not stupid. Once he’s into a local competition then it may ease him up – I don’t know. That’s just my opinion. It’s good to have a player of his profile in the competition.
“We’ve had (Clinton) Toopi, Preston Campbell … Graham Mackay. We’ve had a lot of NRL players. Hudson Smith at our club, Clinton O’Brien … Matty Geyer is down at Currumbin now. (Folau) is no different to any other person, just that he’s in the paper a lot more. I don’t rate him more than any of those others, 100 per cent not.
“I think Toupi, Preston and Matt Geyer have done a lot more for our profile in this area than others have.”
“It’s like us wanting to bring Greg Eastwood up here, though at the end of the day he couldn’t come up. Having a high-profile players in the area is good and it brings people to the area to want to play around him - but not the way they’ve done it.
“You tell me whether that’s buying a competition or not. I suppose a perfect example is what we played them on the weekend. They brought in some players, we relied on our boys and they did then (34-4). Develop your own boys, that’s what it comes down to. Backyard is more important than anything.
RANKED: Coast schools’ leading NRL talents ever
“Southport’s not looking after their backyard. They just buy the competition. That’s straight up and down. And what’s what wrecks the competition. Whoever has the most money wins.”
Aleki Betham (Mudgeeraba Redbacks)
“He’s done his time. Whatever reason it is he got cut from those other sports … if rugby league takes him back on just to play footy, that’s not a bad thing.
“He played Super League last year. He’s still active. It would lift the competition 100 per cent. How often do you see someone of that calibre playing grassroots footy? Not very often. Someone that elite normally drops to Queensland Cup level, but to see him running around playing park footy (would be great).
“Why he was fired from his last gig would be the detraction but having someone like that on your scope and a junior kid coming through seeing this guy playing is only going to help the younger ones.
“I can’t imagine he’s being paid NRL contract money from (Clive) Palmer but whatever they’re paying him is their business.
“It’s not like this hasn’t happened before, or like it doesn’t happen at other clubs in other regions. It’s just that it’s Israel Folau, that’s why it’s news.”
Paul Khan (Burleigh Bears)
“My personal opinion is I’m not against it.
“I don’t think it’s news at all. My view is that the guy hasn’t broken any laws. My view is he should be able to play.
“I think it’s a start for him. I think given the way that Gold Coast rugby league is at the moment, I think it would be great for the competition. Hopefully it would be a good story.
“I think he would create a lot of interest. He’s a world-class player. He would definitely give the competition a boost because it’s struggling at the moment.
“I wouldn’t go that far (calling Folau the best signing in RLGC history). There’s been plenty of blokes like Matty Geyer and Dayne Weston … plenty of ex-NRL players that have come through and played in the competition and a few are still running around.
“(Folau) is 32 so he’s getting toward the end of his career and he might just want to play footy for the fun of it.
“There’s plenty of players in local competitions around the country that have done a lot worse than what Israel’s done.”
MORE TO COME
Join the conversation
HISTORIC: Queensland names first university women’s league team
NAMED: Queensland has written its name into the rugby league history books after naming its first ever women’s university team. See who made the team here.
Read more
Named: Ultimate Qld Schoolboys league team of the year as picked by you
The votes are in and the top schoolboy rugby league players in the state have been selected in a bumper First XIII. See who our readers thought were the cream of the crop league players in season 2024.
Read more