PHOTO: Maria and Israel Folau at Victoria Derby Day in 2017. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the VRC)

Israel Folau and wife Maria have reportedly bought a $1.5 million property outside of Brisbane, increasing speculation that he’s eyeing a return to the NRL through the Queensland Cup.

In February the NRL rejected a formal application from the Dragons to sign Folau, with ARL Commission Chairman Peter V’Landys previously saying he’s not welcome in the game.

But last month The Courier Mail reported that the NRL would not interfere if a club in the Queensland Cup (the NRL’s second tier competition) signed Folau.

The NRL reportedly has no jurisdiction to block players from signing with teams in the Queensland Cup, opening up a potential “back door” for Folau if the NRL ever changes its mind.

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And if Folau’s real estate portfolio is anything to go by, the Queensland Cup option appears to be moving closer to reality.

According to realestate.comFolau and wife Maria have now bought acreage just outside Brisbane.

“Folau and his wife Maria, the former netball star, have quietly spent $1.5 million on a four hectare estate at Pullenvale, the affluent acreage suburb west of the city,” Jonathan Chancellor reports.

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