News Israel Folau on the verge of NRL return as Dragons submit application for two-year deal

Wahesh

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#1 we've moved on from signing up hasbeens. Simple as that. Why tie up cap space to an aging past player who hasn't played league in how many years?

Upset the left tree huggers? At the end of the day, no matter what political, religous or whatever view you have, he put himself before the team. Again and again and again. We don't need him.

And he'd bring controvery. You know. I know it. We all know it.

Not what the club needs.

Period.
A few months. Do you recall the Catalans Dragons being a rugby league team?
 

Flanagun

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It’s a thread about Folau joining the dragons and returning to the NRL. Let’s keep it on track.
You evade questions better than Izzy evades tackles....lol
 

Bob dog

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I don't agree with Folau's personal life but I disagree more with the Dragons spineless offer withdrawal.
What gutless football club does that to a bloke?
 

fiordog

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I don't agree with Folau's personal life but I disagree more with the Dragons spineless offer withdrawal.
What gutless football club does that to a bloke?
Sure, sucks to be Folau, but Dragons didn't really have any other option. If the Dragons kept their offer on the table, there's far more to lose in terms of sponsorships, fan base, credibility with the public. At least they can spin it and say that the club listening to its members (as well as the general public).
 

Flanagun

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Sure, sucks to be Folau, but Dragons didn't really have any other option. If the Dragons kept their offer on the table, there's far more to lose in terms of sponsorships, fan base, credibility with the public. At least they can spin it and say that the club listening to its members (as well as the general public).
The question is, why did they make the offer in the first place? Surely they must have expected the backlash. To initiate talks and then to withdraw from them due to a backlash that was inevitable is odd.

I don't like the guy and would not want him at the dogs, but even I think initiating talks and then withdrawing the offer is pretty poor form. What a rabble that club is. McInnes will be relieved he got off the sinking ship.
 

fiordog

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The question is, why did they make the offer in the first place? Surely they must have expected the backlash. To initiate talks and then to withdraw from them due to a backlash that was inevitable is odd.

I don't like the guy and would not want him at the dogs, but even I think initiating talks and then withdrawing the offer is pretty poor form. What a rabble that club is. McInnes will be relieved he got off the sinking ship.
Its the Dragons - a club is so poorly run it kept McGregor far too long as coach, let go of McInnes, couldn't keep Frizell and a whole lot of other crap from years gone by that I can't remember off the top of my head.

They probably thought "yeah, the controversy has settled down by now - lets sign him" and didn't count on the fact that people didn't want an unrepentent, unapologetic person playing in an inclusive sport (who, lets not forget, raised a GoFundMe to fight Rugby Australia even though he clearly had the assets to fund an issue of his own making).
 

TwinTurbo

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The court didn’t award him anything ..... he was offered a settlement (which may well have been less costly for the ARU than allowing the matter to be dragged on through the courts.
You need to actually understand the process, the Court ordered mediation and then accepted the result of that mediation.

You’re as loose in your interpretation of the legal process as the originator of THAT meme was with the bible thst was supposedly being “quoted”.
I'm not sure what you are trying to convey with the above, let me be explicit and see if that solves your issue. Folau copied and posted a meme, which contained the commonly accepted meaning of Corinthians 6.9.10. Of course, as is often the case with ancient text translations, there are other interpretations, particularly around the meaning of the words μαλακός (malakós) and ἀρσενοκοίτης (arsenokoítēs). I'll just leave it there.

Go Dogs
 

Flanagun

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Its the Dragons - a club is so poorly run it kept McGregor far too long as coach, let go of McInnes, couldn't keep Frizell and a whole lot of other crap from years gone by that I can't remember off the top of my head.

They probably thought "yeah, the controversy has settled down by now - lets sign him" and didn't count on the fact that people didn't want an unrepentent, unapologetic person playing in an inclusive sport (who, lets not forget, raised a GoFundMe to fight Rugby Australia even though he clearly had the assets to fund an issue of his own making).
Oh I don't forget any of that, mate. Trust me, I really don't like the guy....I just think the Dragons are a shambles....imagine not expecting the backlash....lol
 

Flanagun

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You need to actually understand the process, the Court ordered mediation and then accepted the result of that mediation.
Nah, buddy. You need to understand the process. A court does not have to "approve" a settlement if both parties agree to it. The whole point of a settlement is that it is an agreement reached between two parties to avoid the long, drawn out process that needs to be followed to lead to a proper court adjudication. It's silly of you to try to spin a settlement as a victory for Folau....especially when he broke a confidentiality agreement to boast about how the process had "vindicated him", only for Rugby Australia to come out and say the apology issued was over stress caused to his family and not due to sacking him (ie it was tokenistic) and the agreed amount was substantially less than it would have cost RA to continue to pursue the case. There is no evidence whatsoever to support the claim the court sided with Folau, or that the settlement was more beneficial to him than it was to Rugby Australia. Both parties signed a confidentiality agreement...and while Folau broke it within hours, the actual settlement amount has never been disclosed. [/QUOTE]

I'm not sure what you are trying to convey with the above, let me be explicit and see if that solves your issue. Folau copied and posted a meme, which contained the commonly accepted meaning of Corinthians 6.9.10. Of course, as is often the case with ancient text translations, there are other interpretations, particularly around the meaning of the words μαλακός (malakós) and ἀρσενοκοίτης (arsenokoítēs). I'll just leave it there.

Go Dogs
Even putting aside debate over the meaning of those two words, the text Folau shared was significantly different to the actual bible verse. For one thing, the bible verse doesn't mention Hell at all.....it talks of sin and say those who commit those sins and remain unrepentant will not inherit the kingdom of God. Says nothing at all about Hell. It suggests those who sin and don't repent will not go to heaven, but never explicitly mentions Hell at all....so the meme immediately adopts a more hostile and confrontational tone. Putting aside the debate as to whether arsenokoites specifically refers to homosexuality, to directly threaten someone with hellfire takes on a tone that is not present in the original verse, is not a nice thing to do and if you ask me, it stronly goes against the widely accepted Christian philosophy of leaving judgment to God. .

Attached is an interesting article from a self described "late life agnostic" who holds a masters in theology. Whether you agree with him (or me), or not. What Folau shared was definitely not a quote.

https://www.smh.com.au/national/did...attached the biblical passage,5, verses 19-21.
 

Bulldog1966

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WOW the lengths some of you blokes go to too win an argument with another stranger is amazing... not sure if it's entertaining, interesting or tinged with a need to win but up to a point it's worth a read :tearsofjoy:

for mine he is too old turning 32 in April he may not be past it but getting close to it, and as seen with the uproar with the Drag's we dont need the negative press it won't help us at this time when we are trying to win back our credibility.
Essentially doesn't fit our brand and the makeup of our squad as he seemingly is a selfish guy i think.
 

Flanagun

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WOW the lengths some of you blokes go to too win an argument with another stranger is amazing... not sure if it's entertaining, interesting or tinged with a need to win but up to a point it's worth a read :tearsofjoy:

for mine he is too old turning 32 in April he may not be past it but getting close to it, and as seen with the uproar with the Drag's we dont need the negative press it won't help us at this time when we are trying to win back our credibility.
Essentially doesn't fit our brand and the makeup of our squad as he seemingly is a selfish guy i think.
This is how us keyboard warriors woo the ladies. We impress them with tales of our acts of gallantry on the digital battlefield.
 

Northern Beaches dog

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So let me GET THIS STRAIGHT.
Israel Folau is frowned upon and not let back in the @NRL because his "hate speech" can cause suicides amongst teens.
Yet the NRL is up to its eye balls in promoting an activity called gambling which as of 2016 causes at least 1 suicide/death a day.
 

Scoooby

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Yawn.

lets go Doggies.. not long now.
 

Hacky McAxe

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So let me GET THIS STRAIGHT.
Israel Folau is frowned upon and not let back in the @NRL because his "hate speech" can cause suicides amongst teens.
Yet the NRL is up to its eye balls in promoting an activity called gambling which as of 2016 causes at least 1 suicide/death a day.
Yep. Getting rid of gambling advertising would be good. But money talks.
 

Bob dog

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Too hard basket, who cares if he think's anal sex is the devil, Im with Fittler, just wanna see him play and see how he goes.
 

Wahesh

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@utility half @Bob dog @fiordog @Hacky McAxe @TwinTurbo @Bulldog1966 @Northern Beaches dog @Scoooby

This all goes back to what I have said all along...

People are complaining about Folau's post which relates to:
  • A God they don't believe in
  • A book they think is fiction
  • A Satan they don't believe in
  • A Hell they don't believe exists
^ The above 4 points lead a certain group of people to think that the aforementioned 4 points are all in Folau's imagination, therefore not real.

So... if you fall into the category of thinking it's all Folau's imagination, why are you getting so upset about it? What has it physically done to you to harm you if you don't believe it all?

By the way I'm not speaking to those people I've tagged in this post, just bringing it into the spotlight.
 

Hacky McAxe

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@utility half @Bob dog @fiordog @Hacky McAxe @TwinTurbo @Bulldog1966 @Northern Beaches dog @Scoooby

This all goes back to what I have said all along...

People are complaining about Folau's post which relates to:
  • A God they don't believe in
  • A book they think is fiction
  • A Satan they don't believe in
  • A Hell they don't believe exists
^ The above 4 points lead a certain group of people to think that the aforementioned 4 points are all in Folau's imagination, therefore not real.

So... if you fall into the category of thinking it's all Folau's imagination, why are you getting so upset about it? What has it physically done to you to harm you if you don't believe it all?

By the way I'm not speaking to those people I've tagged in this post, just bringing it into the spotlight.
It's not really about what anyone believes. I think most people would say that he can believe whatever he wants just as anyone else can believe whatever they want.

But people were offended by his comments. Not just atheists, some religious were as well.

If no one found it offensive then there's no problem. If people found it offensive and the NRL/ARU didn't care then that's fair enough. But as it stands right now, people found it offensive so to protect the game, the ARU took action and to protect themselves, the NRL and Dragons are now steering clear of him.

He could probably repair the void by saying, "I have my beliefs but I apologise if I offended anyone. I will try not to offend anyone in the future". Like he did when he first did it. But now he's not only refusing to apologise, but he's suggesting that it's his religious freedom to offend people.

Honestly I'd love to have him back in the game, but his stubbornness in refusing to accept that he can be religious without offending people is a problem that he just can't overcome.
 

TwinTurbo

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A couple of things to think about;

Catalans owner Bernard Guasch said "Once the media storm that followed his signing passed, and after only three Super League appearances, he received many requests and became a highly demanded player"

Folau said at the contract renewal with Catalans "I'm a proud Christian, my beliefs are personal, my intention is not to hurt anyone and I will not be making further public comment about them,"

Go Dogs
 

Flanagun

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@utility half @Bob dog @fiordog @Hacky McAxe @TwinTurbo @Bulldog1966 @Northern Beaches dog @Scoooby

This all goes back to what I have said all along...

People are complaining about Folau's post which relates to:
  • A God they don't believe in
  • A book they think is fiction
  • A Satan they don't believe in
  • A Hell they don't believe exists
^ The above 4 points lead a certain group of people to think that the aforementioned 4 points are all in Folau's imagination, therefore not real.

So... if you fall into the category of thinking it's all Folau's imagination, why are you getting so upset about it? What has it physically done to you to harm you if you don't believe it all?

By the way I'm not speaking to those people I've tagged in this post, just bringing it into the spotlight.
Who says they all disbelieve? There are many gay Christians in the world. Some may not see how they can reconcile being queer and a believer, but people have their right to their interpretations of a religion.

Look, I’m not saying he should never work again. I’ve never jumped on twitter to browbeat the guy .... but if he wants the right to be outspoken, I reserve the right to express my strong disagreement with what he says and does... and my belief that a lot of the things he says and does actually goes against what I believe to be basic Christian ethics. I may not be a Christian now, but I was raised one, so it’s not like I speak from a position of total ignorance.... and personally, I believe the approach of Christians like Folau drives more people away from the religion than it attracts to it.

I’m not the sort of person who will be jumping on social media threatening boycotts of any sport or code that signs him.... and I think the dragons are a stupid club for initiating talks with him then withdrawing as if they were surprised by the backlash.....but I do see how it is problematic for any sporting club to sign him if he maintains it is important to him to say things that alienate large sections of the fan base. Sport is a business and while citizens have the right to free speech, employees have responsibilities. In some roles (particularly those of public figures who have large followings), that responsibility extends to being a bit diplomatic about how you express certain things on social media... particularly things that could damage the brand they represent.

I’m not saying he should be stoned, but I think he could stay true to his faith while still being considerate of his employers position and I refuse to see him as a victim.
 
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