Folau to sign with Waratahs
Seven News can now confirm Israel Folau will sign with the New South Wales Waratahs and a formal announcement is expected tomorrow morning.
Izzy is angry that the NRL and the Parramatta Eels are portraying him as greedy, and he’ll let rip at tomorrow's announcement.
Folau says league kept moving the goalposts and left him with no choice. But fans and the game's stars wanted him back in rugby league.
"I'm not bitter towards Israel at all. It's a shame for the NRL that he's not playing in our game. He's a wonderful drawcard," Blues Captain Paul Gallen said.
"Unfortunately the NRL didn't take the opportunity that they had to sign him up and now he's gone to another code."
Seven News has been told Folau's camp met league bosses John Grant and Shane Mattiske before the grand final.
But after months of waiting all they offered was a $25,000 dollar sponsorship with the Western Sydney Academy.
To those who say he's greedy for going to the Waratahs, Folau says he'll speak the truth when it's his time.
He'll claim he was dudded by league as an initial $1 million-a-season deal from the Eels kept dropping until he was finally offered just a quarter of that last week.
After he knocked them back league bosses pleaded for him to do a backflip, but Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has convinced him to try to match three code pioneer Karmichael Hunt, by having a crack at rugby union.
