The Frownlow Medal

The NRL will review a very important list in deciding whether to let former player Israel Folau return to the sport.

Folau recently made headlines with an announcement that he was planning to return to the NRL for the Wests Tigers in 2026 after being blocked from the league due to homophobic social media posts in 2019. The list that could determine his future belongs to The Frownlow Medal.

The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes: the men’s and women’s National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015, while AFL player Noah Balta is the most recent recipient.

The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame honours former players and players who received media attention in previous seasons, for similarly scandalous behaviour, and its inductees include Ben Cousins and Julian O’Neill.

Folau was one of the most talented rugby league and rugby union players in the world when he was barred from playing either sport at an elite level. He has always argued that the posts reflect his strong Christian beliefs.

Folau’s return is unlikely despite Tigers coach Benji Marshall reportedly inviting him to the team for the remainder of the 2026 season. In response, Folau posted:

“The double standard from the @nrl is crazy. The game talks about inclusion, yet my Christian beliefs were said to be a problem and didn’t align with their values. At the same time, players who’ve committed actual offences have been welcomed back. Make it make sense.”

The double standard to which Folau refers is encapsulated in the list below:

The Frownlow Medal Wife Beaters Club

Players who have been found guilty of violence against women.

NRL

Kenny Edwards

Zane Tetevano

Ben Barba

Jake Friend

Anthony Watts

Isaac Gordon

Richie Fa’aoso

Anthony Cherrington

Addin Fonua-Blake

Kirisome Auva’a

Jarryd Hayne

Jamil Hopoate

Joel Romelo

Matt Lodge

Stuart Webb

Curtis Scott

Danny Williams

Wes Patten

AFL

Elijah Taylor

Nick Stevens

Liam Jurrah

Andrew Lovett

Wayne Carey

Albert Proud

Nathan Bock

Daniel Kerr

Rugby Union

Craig Wells

Players from the three codes in which Folau played feature in this list, and one of them, Fonua-Blake, recently played State of Origin for NSW.

The list exemplifies the hypocrisy to which Folau refers, and he could also have cited the case of Ezra Mam. In 2024, Mam drove his powerful ute into an oncoming car in Brisbane and was later found to be under the influence of a cocktail of illicit drugs including cocaine. He was also driving without a licence. A young girl and a woman suffered minor injuries and the magistrate in Mam’s court case labelled his actions as ‘stupid’.

Mam entered a rehabilitation facility shortly after for four weeks and undertook counselling for a year. Initially, he was banned for nine NRL games, had his licence disqualified for six months and was fined $850. He then returned to the NRL in time to win the 2025 premiership with the Brisbane Broncos. Mam’s actions also won him The Frownlow Medal in 2024.

Folau could also cite Haneen Zreika.

Zreika plays AFLW for Folau’s former club, GWS Giants. She is a devout Muslim who refuses to wear the AFL Pride round jersey because her religious beliefs condemn same-sex relationships. She has been dropped from her team every year for the Pride round game, but returned to the team the following round.

According to media reports, former Tigers great Wayne Pearce was influential in blocking Folau’s return. Ironically, Pearce’s own son Mitchell is another former NRL player and Frownlow nominee who will be remembered for getting drunk on Australia day and simulating sex with a dog.

Good thing nobody asked Folau what the Bible says about people who commit bestiality.

Backing Folau is former Wallaby Quade Cooper, who said:

“The irony of inclusivity … excluding someone in the name of inclusion. You can’t claim to champion diversity while deciding who gets to participate. Make it make sense @nrl_weststigers.”

Does Cooper have a point?

Is his support helpful? Cooper himself is a Frownlow nominee due to off-field indiscretions.

The NRL will review the aforementioned list and http://www.instagram.com/thefrownlowmedal/ in deciding whether Folau will be allowed to return to the NRL.

Image: NuNa