Dual-code star Israel Folau has rejected an offer to return to rugby league after his highly publicised falling out with the Wests Tigers, who were set to offer him an NRL contract before the June 30 deadline but pulled out of negotiations.
Nine.com.au is reporting Folau was tabled an offer from the London Broncos, who are owned by former Brisbane Broncos and QLD Maroons teammate Darren Lockyer.
The Broncos play in the second-tier competition, the Betfred Championship, and currently sit in first place with 21 wins and one loss in their incredible 2026 campaign.
Although Folau opted against the move to England, he is set to retire after an illustrious career in three major sporting codes in Australia.
The 37-year-old was closing in on a deal with the Tigers for the remainder of 2026 in June, but received hesitance from the ARLC over his past social media posts, which got him in hot water with Rugby Australia and eventually had his contract torn up in 2019.
Folau burst onto the scene at the Melbourne Storm in 2007, breaking a club try-scoring record in his debut year, picking up a Rookie of the Year award and later winning the Grand Final, which was eventually stripped from the club.
He moved to the Broncos, where he continued his freakish try-scoring ability, and began to feature prominently in representative sides including the QLD Maroons and Australia Kangaroos.
The Broncos are where he finished his NRL journey, scoring 73 tries in 91 appearances before his code switch to AFL in 2011.
Folau would later move to rugby, where he enjoyed his prime playing days during his career, playing for the Wallabies before having his contract terminated.
The St George Illawarra Dragons were closing in on signing Folau for the 2021 season, but abruptly took a step back and confirmed that conversations with the Tongan superstar had ceased through a statement.
Before the potential move to Wollongong, Folau played one season in the South of France with the Catalans Dragons in 2020.
If Folau remained in the NRL, he would have rewritten history as one of the greatest try scorers of all time, but he has since challenged himself in different competitions across the sporting world.
