Folau could be welcomed back - Sky News

[gallagher]

@Mccarry

" this is what religious people do, they spread the word of God, however filthy and unsound it may appear."

Agree on this part.


I’m at offended by how you characterise my belief. I am adult enough to still endorse your right to express it publicly.

Wait one sec...

Oh, thanks. I just needed a second to get over the offence you caused. Turns out I didn’t need to organise a witch hunt of you. Nor did I need to drag your wife into it for supporting it.

I was just agreeing with the article. The one you labelled quality journalism.

 

[Tigerlily]


 

[Nobodyreally]

Whats this Folau story people are talking about?

 

[jirskyr]


Oops you are going to hell, technically that picture is blasphemous.

 

[Tigerlily]


Oops you are going to hell, technically that picture is blasphemous.

I think I’m safe, the guys from Monty Python are still with us...????

https://youtu.be/JrdEMERq8MA

 

[Mccarry]

@Mccarry

" this is what religious people do, they spread the word of God, however filthy and unsound it may appear."

Agree on this part.


I’m at offended by how you characterise my belief. I am adult enough to still endorse your right to express it publicly.

Wait one sec...

Oh, thanks. I just needed a second to get over the offence you caused. Turns out I didn’t need to organise a witch hunt of you. Nor did I need to drag your wife into it for supporting it.

I was just agreeing with the article. The one you labelled quality journalism.

Exactly. You quoted an external source that you believe in that caused me offence ?

 

[happy_tiger]

https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/rugby-league/israel-folau-set-to-make-shock-return-to-rugby-league-with-mate-maa-tonga/ar-AAHIe1v?ocid=ientp

 

[TheDaBoss]

Good for him .......

 

[Newtown]

Israel Folau is reportedly poised for a stunning return to rugby league with Tonga after announcing his intention to play an end-of-season Test for the Pacific nation.

Former Wallaby Folau had his multimillion-dollar contract terminated by Rugby Australia over a homophobic social media post in May.

"I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to represent God, my family, my heritage and the people of Tonga," Folau said in a Tonga Rugby League statement. "I am thankful that the RLIF have accepted my availability to play.

"I don't want to bring any of my personal matters into this and I am grateful that the RLIF have endorsed my availability.

"What I will do now is focus on playing great rugby league and do my talking on the field."

MORE TO COME

 

[gallagher]

Israel Folau is reportedly poised for a stunning return to rugby league with Tonga after announcing his intention to play an end-of-season Test for the Pacific nation.

Former Wallaby Folau had his multimillion-dollar contract terminated by Rugby Australia over a homophobic social media post in May.

"I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to represent God, my family, my heritage and the people of Tonga," Folau said in a Tonga Rugby League statement. "I am thankful that the RLIF have accepted my availability to play.

"I don't want to bring any of my personal matters into this and I am grateful that the RLIF have endorsed my availability.

"What I will do now is focus on playing great rugby league and do my talking on the field."

MORE TO COME

How can you play rep footy without being registered.

 

[Alex Seyfarth's #1 Fan]

https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/09/23/israel-folau-launches-bid-to-make-rugby-league-return-with-tonga/

**RLIF likely to block Folau's rugby league return for Tonga**
Brad Walter
NRL.com Senior Reporter
Mon 23 Sep 2019, 05:48 PM

Israel Folau is attempting to return to rugby league at the end of the year to represent Tonga in Tests against Great Britain and the Kangaroos.

However, it is understood there will be a strong push by members of the board of the Rugby League International Federation to veto the move at an upcoming meeting.

The Tonga National Rugby League released a statement on Monday saying the former Storm and Broncos star and his younger brother John, who played eight NRL matches for Parramatta in 2015-16, had made themselves available for Mate Ma'a Tonga.

The announcement of Folau's return comes amid a bitter dispute with Mate Ma'a Tonga players, led by Andrew Fifita and Jason Taumalolo, who are demanding the resignations of TNRL chairman George Koloamatangi and secretary William Edwards.

The TNRL appointed former Kiwis coach Frank Endacott to take charge of the team after sacking Kristian Woolf but it is understood that he is struggling to convince players to turn out in the Tests.

Former Gold Coast Titans coach Garth Brennan will oversee Tonga's preparations for the World Cup 9s at Bankwest Stadium on October 18 and 19 but it is unclear what sort of line-up he will have at his disposal.

The Folau brothers will not play at the World Cup 9s as the NRL CEO Todd Greenberg and ARLC chairman Peter Beattie have made it clear that Israel was not welcome to return to the code after his contract was terminated by Rugby Australia due to a homophobic social media post in April.

Beattie is deputy chairman of the RLIF board, while Greenberg is one of seven other directors, who also include NZRL chairman Reon Edwards and CEO Greg Peters.

Despite claims by the TNRL and Folau that the RLIF had approved him to play for Tonga, NRL.com was told that no application had been made and the issue was set to be discussed during a phone hook-up of directors.

Neither of the Folau brothers are registered rugby league players and have been playing rugby union in recent seasons for the Waratahs.

Israel also represented the Wallabies before his contract was terminated and he is in the midst of a court dispute with Rugby Australia, seeking a multi-million dollar sum in lost wages following his sacking in May.

Folau played eight Tests for the Kangaroos from 2007-09. His last season in the NRL was 2010 and he played 91 games during stints with Melbourne and Brisbane, scoring 73 tries.

“I don’t want to bring any of my personal matters into this and I am grateful that the RLIF have endorsed my availability,” Folau said in the TNRL statement.

“What I will do now is focus on playing great rugby league and do my talking on the field.”

 

[Sabre]

Let him play.
It'd be good for the game to have him there.

 

[gallagher]

Let him play.
It'd be good for the game to have him there.

You cant just let un-registered players turn up for internationals.

 

[NT_Tiger]

I think that given his strongly held views he should scorn the evils of the football world with its drugs, drunks and fornicators and devote himself to a chaste evangelical role at a church of his choosing.

 

[happy_tiger]

Israel simple .....say sorry ......apologize

But Israel =The Fonz ....I was wrrrr......ight

 

[BZN]

Very well said @rustycage re your "whatever happened to being kind to one another" :v:

 

[TCL]

@weststigers they are outraged. Most people were outraged. The only ones that weren’t are those that agree with his comments.

 

[TCL]

@weststigers I’m confussed I thought the church only believed that sex was for priests and alter boys, orphans and any other vulnerable child. They protected pedophiles for years. When complaints were raised they didn’t ask the precise to repent or punish him no, they moved them onto another unsuspecting community. They still lie for each other.

 

[weststigers]

@weststigers they are outraged. Most people were outraged. The only ones that weren’t are those that agree with his comments.

Not sure where you live, but apart from the PC brigade, no one really gives a toss what he said. The PC brigade just shouts the loudest.

 

[weststigers]

@weststigers I’m confussed I thought the church only believed that sex was for priests and alter boys, orphans and any other vulnerable child. They protected pedophiles for years. When complaints were raised they didn’t ask the precise to repent or punish him no, they moved them onto another unsuspecting community. They still lie for each other.

My point was NOT in relation to the disgusting pedophilia that occurred in the Catholic church - it was about the nuances of Folau's views and where the idea that homosexuality is a sin came from.

The Catholic Church issue is a totally different discussion.