Dual international Israel Folau says he wants under-fire teammate Kurtley Beale to stay in Australian rugby and refused to rule out a switch back to the NRL after next year's Rugby World Cup.

As speculation heats up around the marquee name most likely to fill the spot left vacant at the Eels next season by NFL-bound Jarryd Hayne, attention turned to whether Parramatta might make a bid for the last big fish they let slip.

Just two years ago, Folau was on the verge of signing with the then Ricky Stuart-coached Eels – but a salary cap bungle allowed the Waratahs and the Australian Rugby Union to snap him up.

After winning a Super Rugby title with NSW and earning 24 Test starts for the Wallabies, Folau has one year left to run on his contract.

Until about two months ago, Waratahs coach Michael Cheika was privately bullish about retaining his fullback beyond 2015, but a deterioration of team morale within the Wallabies and grave doubts over Beale's future in the code have NSW and the ARU on edge about what the future might hold for one the code's most valuable players.

Folau said he was "not even thinking about" the $800,000-plus-a-year spot left vacant at Parramatta, but said Beale's presence was a big part of his enjoyment of rugby.

"Like I said in the past, my management look after all the contract stuff and for me I'm more focused on the game ahead on Saturday," Folau said. "It's entirely out of my hands.

"There's a process that's going on with Kurtley, but for me, he's helped me a lot with my career since I transitioned over to the Waratahs and also in the Wallabies, he's a big part of that. I enjoy playing with Kurtley, and for me personally, I'd like to see him stay in Australian rugby. There's a process that has to happen and that's something that has to go on."

Beale is facing exile from rugby should he be found guilty of misconduct at an independent tribunal in Sydney next week, and Folau described as "wrong" his teammate's alleged conduct with former business manager Di Patston.

"That was something that was wrong," he said. "But in talking about Kurtley, as a person, I really enjoy having him around the team environment. He's someone most of the boys really love having around and we love playing with him. He's been missed around the group, there's a process they're going through, but our focus is on the game this week."

Folau will play his 25th Test in a gold jersey at Suncorp Stadium this week, a ground with which he has a long history spanning State of Origin, the NRL and Test rugby.

The Wallabies have been riven by controversy since Beale's mid-flight argument with Patston blew the lid off a tawdry state of affairs inside the team, but after a truth session in camp on Sunday night, the playing group appears to have rallied around the milestone of centre Adam Ashley-Cooper's 100th Test match this week.

"We had a team meeting on Sunday and that got everything out of the way," Folau said.

"But it's a big week, it's 'Swoop's' 100th Test match for the Wallabies, and in the playing group that's taken over everything else. We want to go out there and try to play well for him."

Folau also expressed his support for coach Ewen McKenzie.

"It's probably been a pretty tough couple of weeks for him but I'm sure his focus is on the game as well and, as a coach, that's his priority," he said, adding that he hoped Patston was also coping after resigning from her role in the ARU.

"It obviously would have been hard for her; hopefully she's doing OK. But, like I said, there's a process they're going through and that's someone I don't need to worry about."

Amid questions over the role senior players have taken inside the Wallabies in recent months, Folau backed the leadership team of Michael Hooper, James Slipper and Ashley-Cooper.

"I think the guys are trying to [lead], and maybe those guys would only know if they're doing a really good job or not," he said. "But for me, I think they're doing a pretty good job for the team."