Sport Confidential: Israel Folau’s building a home in Redcliffe fuels talk he could join the Dolphins
Taking games to the Sunshine Coast was part of the Dolphins pitch to join the NRL, yet they will play there just once in 2023. CEO Terry Reader explains why.
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The Dolphins have explained their decision to play as many home games in Perth as they will on the Sunshine Coast in their debut NRL season.
Last week’s release of the 2023 NRL draw revealed the Redcliffe expansion club will play a round 23 “home” game against Newcastle at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The match is part of a double-header to promote rugby league in Western Australia, with the Rabbitohs and Sharks to feature in the second game on Saturday, August 5.
The WA Government has paid big money to host NRL games, like it did for Origin II this year, and the Dolphins will pocket a bonus for taking a home game to Perth.
Part of the Dolphins’ pitch to secure the NRL’s 17th licence was that they would make the Sunshine Coast region part of their catchment.
The club vowed to split its home games between Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Moreton Daily Stadium at Redcliffe and Sunshine Coast Stadium.
But the Sunshine Coast has only secured one Dolphins “home” match for 2023, with the team to play seven at Suncorp, three at Redcliffe and one in Perth.
Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said they were helping grow the game during the period in which Suncorp is unavailable due to the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We worked with the NRL to be part of a day of rugby league in Western Australia and play at Perth’s Optus Stadium, highlighting an example of a new and commercially successful expansion team,” he said.
“In 2023 the Dolphins brand will be spread across Queensland and Australia.
“We will play NRL games and trials in eight Queensland cities and regions including Brisbane, our spiritual home at Redcliffe, the Sunshine Coast, Gladstone, Cairns, Bundaberg, Gold Coast, Townsville, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Auckland.”
IZZY GOING TO THE DOLPHINS?
The Dolphins insist Israel Folau will not finish his sporting career under Wayne Bennett as the NRL’s 17th team continues a desperate search for their first franchise player.
Folau is building a multimillion-dollar home on a block of land at Scarborough on the Redcliffe peninsula, just a 2km drive from the Dolphins’ home ground at Moreton Daily Stadium.
It has fuelled speculation the controversial former Wallabies star, who has travelled the world during his decorated sporting career, is setting himself up for a career swan song with the NRL’s new expansion club in 2023.
It is understood Folau has signed a deal with Brisbane builders Graya, who are known for constructing state-of-the-art homes. They have previously built a new home for former Broncos skipper Darius Boyd.
Folau’s latest property development on the Redcliffe peninsula will cost more than $1.5 million, but the ex-Broncos flyer is hardly short of cash after he received an estimated $4 million payout from Rugby Australia.
Folau was sensationally sacked by RA in 2019 for homophobic comments on social media, sparking a political and religious firestorm that made the dual international one of the most polarising figures in Australian sport.
The Dolphins’ NRL rivals the Dragons considered signing Folau in February 2021, only to pull the pin when news of their plans triggered a public backlash.
The Broncos also internally discussed signing Folau around the same time - Brisbane coach Kevin Walters was open to the idea - but never proceeded with a formal approach after club sponsors threatened to walk away.
Folau ended up accepting a cameo stint with Southport in the Gold Coast rugby league competition last year and at 33, the former Queensland Origin rookie is still young enough to play another two seasons of NRL.
Bennett is under mounting pressure to deliver a big-name signing. The super coach has missed out on Queensland Origin stars Cameron Munster, Kalyn Ponga and Harry Grant, but club CEO Terry Reader says Folau’s property purchase at Redcliffe is not evidence he will be a Dolphin in 2023.
“I’m not surprised Israel might be building a house in Redcliffe,” Dolphins boss Reader said.
“As some of our new signings have already found out, it is a great place to live, only 20 minutes from the airport and 30 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD.
“However, the Dolphins have not spoken to Israel or his management and he is not in our plans.”
ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has always left the door ajar for Folau, saying the NRL will consider any registration application from one of the code’s 17 clubs.
Folau, who turns 34 in April, has spent the past year playing rugby in Japan after a 15-game stint in the English Super League with French club Catalans Dragons.
Folau’s links to the Dolphins come as the ABC network prepares to release a two-part documentary on the rise and fall of ‘Izzy’.
Documentary-makers have spent the past year interviewing those closest to Folau, who has refused to apologise for his homophobic post, although the release date has been postponed.
In September 2019, Bennett, then coaching England, said he had no personal issue with Folau at a time when Tongan rugby league bosses discussed picking him for a Test against the Poms.
“I have coached every type of rugby league player,” Bennett said.
“I have coached guys who have been in jail. I have coached cleanskins. I have coached against guys I had at other clubs.
“I treat everyone as I find them, I don’t judge people.”
TATTS A NEW LOOK FOR BRONCOS WHIZ-KID
First he inked a new deal with the Broncos. Now Reece Walsh has ink of another kind and a new mentor to guide his blossoming career.
Brisbane’s star off-season recruit has marked his return to Red Hill by getting two new tattoos as the attacking whiz-kid looks to make his mark at the Broncos.
During speed testing last week, Walsh had a new look in more ways than one with ink work on his arm and leg complementing his fresh Broncos gear.
“I got a couple of tatts in the off-season,” Walsh said.
“They represent my young daughter (Leila). I got her name on my arm, I got a clock for the time she was born and the tattoo on my leg is one of a lion and a lion cub. That represents me looking after my daughter.
“I love being a dad. Every day is a challenge, but she has a new word every day and I wouldn’t take it back for the world. I wouldn’t be back at the Broncos right now if it wasn’t for her.”
Walsh’s return to the Broncos has opened the door for him to be guided by former Test and Origin star Darius Boyd.
Boyd will work closely with Walsh to help develop his overall game – particularly defence.
“It’s good having Darbs back, he thinks he’s still got it, the old fella,” Walsh said.
“He came in and did one conditioning game and I haven’t seen him since. Darbs, if you can come back to training it’d be good to see your face.
“He’s good to have around. He’s a really experienced player and someone I watched closely as a young kid.
“I’m really excited to be back around the boys and having people like Darbs there can tip me up every now and then.
“If he can help me with anything on and off the field it’s going to be massive.”
MAROONS DREAM TEAM RE-UNITES
The band is coming back together again.
Origin legends Johnathan Thurston and Cameron Smith are set to return to Camp Maroon next season as rookie coach Billy Slater plots back-to-back trophies for Queensland.
Smith, Thurston and assistant Josh Hannay played key support roles this season in Queensland’s epic series win and Slater wants to dream team back on board next season.
“We want to improve and progress on what we did this year and those guys (Smith, Thurston and Hannay) were critical to what we did,” Slater said.
“I haven’t had a conversation with all of them as yet, I felt it was necessary after the series to go back and focus on their other roles, whether it’s NRL club coaching or media commitments.
“It’s important to have time away from the game, too, post-season.
“But when I do get in touch again, I would like to think we will have a relatively similar set up to this year.”
WORLD CUP STAR CATCHES LEGEND’S EYE
The Broncos have been urged to sign the PNG World Cup gun who trumped NRL stars Ben Hunt, Harry Grant and Brandon Smith.
Kumuls hooker Edwin Ipape secured the No. 9 jersey in the official team of the tournament following some tremendous performances for PNG.
And Broncos legend Corey Parker has urged his former club to give the feisty dummy-half a shot at the NRL.
“I think the Broncos should have a look at signing Ipape,” Parker said.
“I’ve been really impressed by what I’ve seen of him at the World Cup. A lot of PNG players have great toughness and physicality but Ipape is one guy who also has some smarts out of dummy half.
“He’s only young, he’s got experience in the Super League and it would be good to see him tested in the NRL.”
Hooker is a position the Broncos are unsettled in, with Billy Walters to be given first crack at the No. 9 jersey next year.
In June, Ipape signed a three-year deal with English side Leigh, who this week changed their mascot from the Centurions to the Leopards.
TAMOU COPS IT FROM COWS
James Tamou has been warmly embraced upon his return to the North Queensland Cowboys.
Tamou played 171 games for the Cowboys from 2009-16, including the club’s famous 2015 maiden premiership.
He returns to Townsville as a 305-game NRL stalwart and will be the competition’s oldest current player next year.
That’s a stat which hasn’t gone missed by his Cowboys teammates.
“A couple of the boys were excited to hear I was coming because they weren’t the oldest anymore,” Tamou said with a laugh.
SPOTTED
Broncos captain Adam Reynolds and cricket superstar Chris Lynn partying together at the Fridayz Live music festival in Brisbane last week.
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Originally published as Sport Confidential: Israel Folau’s building a home in Redcliffe fuels talk he could join the Dolphins
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