James Maloney Bombarded Israel Folau With Gay Porn When He Joined New Team's WhatsApp Group

By Stewart Perrie

Israel Folau left Australia to join a new rugby league team in France last year after being booted by the Wallabies for a homophobic social media post.

You can imagine it's naturally an intimidating experience going into a new environment like a job, or city or team.

While many of the Catalan Dragons players likely welcomed the Aussie star with open arms, there was one player who thought he would play a fun game.

Australia's James Maloney, who used to play for the Sydney Roosters and is now in France alongside Folau, decided to poke fun at Israel's anti-gay stance.

Despite the funny dig, Maloney backs Folau's future as a star rugby player, regardless of the code, even though he left Australia with a tarnished reputation.

In his now infamous Instagram post, he claimed homosexuals, along with other sinners, would rot in hell unless they repented their sins.

He was hauled before a disciplinary tribunal and then sacked by the Australian Wallabies, before taking them to court for unfair dismissal.

The two parties eventually settled out of court and Folau fled to France to continue his career away from the frenzied Australian media.

Folau was recently linked with a move back to Australia after the St George Illawarra Dragons put in a bid to recruit the star player. The club copped severe backlash from the revelation and eventually rescinded the offer.

However, Maloney reckons any club would be benefitted by Folau's talent and skill.

"He's played at the top level in our game and the top level in rugby, and you don't do that by accident," Maloney said.

"He took a bit of time getting used to rugby league again, but he was good for us, he scored some outstanding tries and came up with some really big plays.

"All the backlash there has been about him [possibly returning] was always going to be an obstacle for him.

"But for a player of his quality, you'd probably get him for a lot less, and he'd be a great pick-up for any NRL club.

"I think he would be good for the game, and you want the best players playing in the competition. He'd only make the NRL better.

"All the boys got along with him here, and when he told us why he wasn't coming back we all understood."