Israel Folau named in Catalan Dragons squad
Ahead of his likely return to rugby league, after a decade away from the game that made him famous, Israel Folau has opened up on his exile from football.
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Israel Folau has revealed he almost walked away from rugby for good after his legal battle in Australia over his social media posts.
As he looks set to line up for the Catalans Dragons in the Super League, Folau said he wanted to work hard for his new teammates.
But when asked if almost he considered quitting, he replied: “Yes, of course. I was thinking about stopping my career and doing something else.”
“I haven’t played 13-a-side for 10 years, so I am also pretty nervous. It’s like a new start for me and I am very excited to return to the sport in which I became known.”
Folau trained well with the group, showing off some of his prodigious talent.
He had been named in the squad and News Corp Australia understands he will play against the Castleford Tigers on Sunday morning Australian time.
Folau told L’Independant newspaper in France he was ready to mark his mark on the field.
He had already caught up with former teammates James Maloney and Greg Bird, who are both at Catalans.
He said he had enjoyed getting back to plying his trade.
“Team spirit, being part of a group, evolving with your teammates, training with others and interacting with coaches,” were among the things he has missed, Folau said.
At training in Perpignan on Friday night, Folau looked ready to take on the world.
He laughed and joked with teammates as he jogged on to the Stade Gilbert Brutus in the south of France.
Folau has not lost his pace and appeared a likely starter for his new side the Catalans Dragons.
He got his hands on the ball a few times during the session.
But his new coach Steve McNamara was giving nothing away when he arrived before training, telling News Corp Australia no decision has been made.
A club spokesman said the team would be released at 11.30pm Saturday, just a few hours before the match against the Castleford Tigers.
Folau needed to prove his fitness at a final training session with the Catalans Dragons, in a bid to reignite his sporting career.
The Dragons clash against the Castleford Tigers at 4am Sunday would be his first professional match since April last year.
And it would be the 30-year-old’s first game of rugby league since he switched to union in 2013.
Folau’s exile from Australian rugby came after social media posts where he said “hell awaits gay people”, which led to his sacking and a protracted legal battle that handed him a secret payout believed to be several million dollars.
He was named in the club’s squad for the match early on Friday, but McNamara has been coy about whether he would line up, even though the club had new Folau edition shirts in its merchandise shop on Friday.
On Thursday he said his controversial recruit deserves a second chance and should not face a “life sentence” for his homophobic comments.
And earlier this week he hinted Folau would play “when he’s ready to contribute positively to the team on the field”.
News Corp Australia understands that Folau was at his playing weight, continuing to train during his long lay-off because of his fight with Rugby Australia.
There has been a backlash from UK Super League clubs against Folau’s recruitment because of fears sponsors would pull out because of his controversial comments, which he was banned from repeating under his new deal.
Opinion was divided on the streets of Perpignan with some sports fans backing him while younger people were worried.
“It’s good for the Dragons, they have to get him playing out there,” restaurant owner Stefan Buttigieg, 51, said.
“I’m a sports man and those comments don’t bother me, it might bother other people but it doesn’t bother me,” he added in a translated interview.
Julia, 17, said she was concerned.
“It is not good to have people playing that have said those kinds of things,” she said.
Andre Balejour, 51, said when asked about Folau: “Tres bien, very good.”
“I’m all about giving possibility to people I don’t mind if he plays well, it is right if he’s given a second chance,” Phillipe Concina, 54, said.
Others said as long as he stopped posting on social media, he would be embraced by the Perpignan crowds.
Fabian Rodriguez, 35, said: “The matter is not going to affect his sports results. When you are the owner of a team you care about the results. For me, it disturbs me a little bit, but then if he is a good player that’s important.”
The Catalans Dragons picked him up Folau the bargain price of $400,000 per year after he was sacked by Rugby Australia.
The club has wrapped him up in cotton wool and cancelled a press conference last week and banned interviews before the game.
Folau would be a handy addition to the side, which has been hit by injuries.
He has joined Sonny Bill Williams in the UK based Super League.
Williams is playing for the league’s other international side, the Toronto Wolfpack.
He missed this weekend’s match because he has returned to New Zealand for the expected birth of his fourth child.