Israel Folau is being shopped to the Wests Tigers as he eyes a return to the NRL at 37. He is seeking a train-and-trial deal, with the move potentially happening before the June 30 deadline.
Folau And Wests Tigers
Fresh reports from 2GB and Spiro Christopoulo say Folau’s camp has already approached Benji Marshall to try to get a deal done. That puts the Wests Tigers at the center of a comeback bid for a player who last appeared in the 13-man code in 2010 with the Brisbane Broncos.
Folau’s name still carries weight because of what he did in the NRL before leaving. Over a four-year stint, he played 91 matches and scored 73 tries, then went on to represent the Kangaroos and the QLD Maroons before his exit.
June 30 Deadline
The timing is the part that gives this move urgency. If a deal is going to happen, it could land before June 30, leaving the Tigers with a short window to decide whether to add a 37-year-old with a long gap from the competition and a clear scoring record from his first NRL run.
Folau’s return would be more than a standard roster move. It would bring back a former Wallaby and cross-code star whose departure from the NRL became one of the code’s biggest what-if storylines, but the decision now sits with the club and the clock.
Benji Marshall
Marshall is the link between Folau’s camp and the Tigers, and that approach is the clearest sign this is more than loose speculation. The next step is straightforward: whether the club turns the conversation into a train-and-trial offer before the deadline closes the door on this pathway.
For Folau, the path back to the NRL is narrow but real. For the Tigers, the choice is whether his old strike rate and marquee profile are enough to justify a late move that has to be settled fast.
