Brad Fittler wants Israel Folau back in the NRL

The Dragons pulled out of chasing Israel Folau after a huge public backlash but Brad Fittler wants the cross-code star back in the NRL.

Brad Fittler wants Israel Folau back.

Brad Fittler wants to see Israel Folau back in the NRL as the code wrestles with the question of whether to allow the controversial footy star to return.

That dilemma doesn’t need to be answered just yet after the Dragons pulled out of their hunt to sign Folau on a two-year, $1 million deal, but reports suggest the 31-year-old is still keen on chasing an NRL comeback with another team.

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Folau’s religious beliefs and social media activity — having previously claimed “hell awaits” gay people unless they repent for their “sins” — have hung over his head since Rugby Australia ripped up his contract in 2019.

Since being banished from the Wallabies, Folau has been playing for Catalans Dragons in the UK Super League but has an eye on returning to rugby league Down Under, where he first made a name for himself as a football sensation.

NRL legend and NSW coach Fittler, speaking before the Dragons backflipped, said Folau’s eye-catching ability is reason enough for rugby league to court him again.

“I like watching Israel Folau play footy,” Fittler said, per the Sydney Morning Herald. “I don’t necessarily listen to anything he says because I don’t have social media and I am not over any of that.

“It is going to be up to the game to decide if he can play and I hope he can because I like watching him play. The couple of times I saw him play he looked as good as ever. I think he will make an impact straight away.”

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Would Folau be able to keep pace in today’s NRL?

Folau debuted for the Melbourne Storm as a teenager in 2007 before moving north to play two seasons with the Broncos between 2009-2010. The explosive back played five Origins for Queensland and eight Tests for Australia before dropping a bombshell and quitting to play AFL.

A short stint at GWS was followed by a 73-Test run with the Wallabies before his acrimonious break-up with the 15-man code Down Under.

Unable to play rugby in Australia, Folau headed to France to play rugby league for the Catalans Dragons, who compete in the UK Super League. He signed a one-year extension last July to keep him at the club for the 2021 season but with COVID-19 causing havoc around the world, Folau returned to Australia during the summer after his wife Maria gave birth to their first child.

Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) chairman Peter V’landys has said previously Folau’s views on homosexuality are not welcome in the NRL. In October 2019, V’landys poured cold water over the idea of Folau ever returning.

“The game is inclusive. Israel’s comments are not inclusive,” V’landys said then.

“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 (who 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.”