Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs prop Max King is keen to see Israel Folau return to the NRL and hopes the competition will rectify its call to have him blocked.
Folau was nearing a return to the Wests Tigers in a mid-season switch, which would have marked 16 years since he left the code, but negotiations stalled when Folau was reportedly blocked by members of the game's governing body.
His wife, Maria, went to social media to explain Israel was met with a roadblock in his return to the 13-man code.
She claimed that Folau's entrance would be a distraction to the club fighting for a Top 8 spot, while also raising concerns on "inclusiveness" shown towards her partner.
Folau had his multi-million Rugby Australia contract torn up in 2019 for breaching the code's Professional Players' Code of Conduct after he posted a social media post surrounding Christianity and homosexuality.
Although Christian NRL player King has shown his support for the dual-international, saying many fans would be keen to have him back and that his beliefs should also be valued.
"I think every fan and spectator wants to see Israel back in the league," King said to AAP.
"I guess we want everyone's voice to be heard, and everyone's opinion matters. I think equally in the same fact that Israel has his beliefs and I think they should be valued as well.
"I don't think he should be discriminated against as well."
An attempt was made to have Folau return to the NRL in 2021 with the Dragons, but similar problems occurred, resulting in both parties walking away.
There is a considerable percentage of NRL players in the league who are Christian, with prayers post-match often occurring between the two competing teams.
"Part of what makes our game so great is, as a Christian myself, the way that it (faith) is broadcast," King added.
"Not that we do it for that, but every time there's prayer circles, there's cameras on there and I think that's awesome.
"Biased as a Christian, but I think having Christian athletes, anyone with an opinion, it's their opinion and it's their right to speak."
Despite being 37-years-old, Folau was on track to becoming one of the most prestigious players of all time if he stayed in the code, scoring 73 tries in 91 games for the Melbourne Storm.
In his short four-year career, he represented the Australian Kangaroos and the Queensland Maroons eight times each, creating speculation Folau would have no-doubt been on track to retire as one of the greatest outside backs ever.
"I wouldn't want to verse him against the Tigers," King said.
"I think that was probably the topic, that it'd be harmful for the game. I think it'd be great for the game."
Folau left the code at the end of the 2010 season to prepare for the introduction of the GWS expansion franchise in the AFL.
Izzy may have been a great athlete in his day but
a) he’s too old to play NRL, the way it is played these days
b) he has never understood that in the cultural climate that has developed over the last 50 years his personal views will not be acceptable to a lot of influential people in the media, in sport, and in politics. So he needs to keep his views to himself and live his life to his own standards.
Izzy is not going to be coming back to the NRL, so let’s stop talking about it.