Former Parramatta Eels player and 2023 Man of Steel Award winner Bevan French has provided the latest on a potential return to the NRL competition.
The 2023 Man of Steel winner - the Super League equivalent of the NRL's Dally M Medal - French has taken his game to new heights after transitioning from the outside backs to the halves and has regularly been linked with a return to the NRL.
This saw him lead the Wigan Warriors to become the first team to win the quadruple overseas in 2024 and guide them to the 2023 Super League title and a World Cup Challenge victory against the Penrith Panthers.
One of many options linked to the Parramatta Eels following Dylan Brown's decision to leave for the Newcastle Knights at the end of the season on a massive 10-year contract, French told The Daily Telegraph that he will not be returning to the Eels to partner Mitchell Moses in the halves.
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Contracted for four more seasons at the Wigan Warriors, the playmaker revealed last year that his goal is to return to the NRL eventually, but it is unlikely to occur anytime soon.
While it is unknown if he has an 'NRL Clause' in his contract, a team could still potentially secure his services in the future but would need to pay a significant transfer fee to sign him.
“I came over here with the goal of wanting to get back to the NRL one day", French said via NRL.com last year.
“It's important, you've got to - I guess - pick the right timing as well. If you do go back, it's sort of your last shot so everything's got to fall into place, the way you want it to, to be able to do that."
French joined the Wigan Warriors midway through the 2019 season after a 47-game and 140-point stint with the Parramatta Eels.
Since his arrival in the Super League, he has broken all types of records including when he scored seven tries in a single game (only playing 62 of the full 80 minutes).
"He's one of those players that you can't coach against because you don't know what he is going to do. He would be a sensation if he came back," Immortal Andrew Johns said.
"I hope he comes back … he's a special player."
He has also earned praise from a rugby league legendary player, coach and administrator Phil Gould, who admitted he was impressed with French's performances overseas.
"He probably got rushed a little bit and didn't get to play his preferred position, and he wasn't overly big," Gould said on Wide World Of Sports' Six Tackles With Gus.
"He fell out of confidence more than anything - all of a sudden, his contract value had escalated beyond what he was producing. The option was to take him to England, where he has been outstanding and one of the best players in the Super League.
"I'm quite sure he would love to be back in the NRL … there might be opportunities."
So…what’s French addressed? Comments from him come from last year prior to extending with Wigan.