Israel Folau is being shopped to the Wests Tigers as he pushes for a return to the NRL, with the 37-year-old seeking a train-and-trial deal that could be done before the June 30 deadline. Reports from 2GB and Spiro Christopoulo say Folau’s camp has approached Benji Marshall in an effort to get a move across the line.
Folau has not played in the 13-man code since 2010, when he was with the Brisbane Broncos, but he is now plotting a comeback more than a decade later. He played 91 matches over a four-year stint in the NRL and scored 73 tries, a strike rate that still stands out in a career that also took in rugby union.
That history is part of why his name still carries weight in league circles. Folau represented the Kangaroos and the QLD Maroons before leaving the code, and his exit has long been framed as one of the biggest what-if storylines in the sport.
The hard part is not Folau’s record. It is whether Marshall wants him. The Tigers have been put in front of the idea, but it remains unclear if their coach is interested in taking him into his side, and that uncertainty leaves the proposed return hanging on a decision that has yet to be made.
What happens next is simple, even if the answer is not: if a club is going to give Folau his shot, it has to happen soon. The June 30 deadline gives the conversation a final edge, and for a player who last appeared in NRL colors in 2010, that clock is now the story.
