Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui Joins Ipswich Jets for 2026 Return

Iszac Fa'asuamaleaui has joined the Ipswich Jets for the remainder of the 2026 season after leaving the English Super League. The 24-year-old forward returned home to Queensland after his father was diagnosed with cancer for a second time, shifting his season back to where he can be closer to family.

Fa'asuamaleaui had signed a one-year deal with the Catalans Dragons for 2026 and had already lined up a move to the Perth Bears from the start of the 2027 campaign. Instead, he is now back in Ipswich, with a club that can keep him in front of Queensland-based opportunities for the rest of the year.

Catalans Dragons and family return

His time in the south of France ended after ten games for Catalans. The club supported his decision to leave because of the personal circumstances, and Fa'asuamaleaui wanted to return home to be with his father and family. That move cut short a season that had only just started for him after leaving the Gold Coast Titans at the end of 2025.

Fa'asuamaleaui played 28 games for the Titans between his debut in 2023 and his departure at the end of 2025. He is from Gympie, and his father, Fereti, was a contracted player with the Sydney Roosters during the 1990s.

Jets link to Gold Coast Titans

The Ipswich move also keeps the door open to an NRL pathway. The Jets are linked with the Gold Coast Titans, which leaves open the possibility of a call-up before the June 30 deadline if the NRL club decide on it. He could also get an NRL appearance later in the year through a pathways contract with dispensation from the NRL.

That makes this more than a simple club switch. For Fa'asuamaleaui, the rest of 2026 now sits inside a Queensland setup that can keep him close to family and, if the Titans choose, place him back in NRL contention without waiting for 2027.