Isaiah Papali’i #265
- Thread starter MarySt
- Start date
BalmainJnr
Well-known member
Well we don’t need the lament thread for this player. He clearly never really wanted to be at WT to begin with. Hopefully we are carrying none of his contract next season.
GNR4LIFE
Well-known member
Why would we be?
Todd Packer
Well-known member
You see that a lot on here.
"The club is dumb"
"The club wrecks players"
Etc. Etc.
It's a new administration, new coaches, new board so who exactly are "the club" that are doing all the damage?
Is it the fantasy "culture" carried by ghostly spirits of Christmas past?
Tiger_Yoshi
Well-known member
The concern is , other “decent” players see this too and it scares them from joining us
I reckon he is as good as gone
Yeah I don’t know what Luai was thinking signing on. I guess money is a more powerful motivation than success.
ancient_magpie
Well-known member
Does anybody know about Broederlow could he be the replacement for Papali’i.
?????
Kaito
Well-known member
😎😎😎
Never heard of him , can u provide some details thanks
rugbygoated
Well-known member
And just like that... it will happen
Robbie's Love Child
Well-known member
I watched him from Mt Albert secondary school days and have followed the Warriors since their inception, you clearly know nothing about how he performed there. He was terrible and a hand brake, keep your delusional view going champ, ask any true Warriors supporter how he went.
Pascoes_barber
Well-known member
Junior Pauga likely coming back
rugbygoated
Well-known member
I got you bro.
Reigning premiers Penrith have signed Kiwi international Isaiah Papali’i from wooden-spooners Wests Tigers on a three-year deal from next season.
Just weeks after a failed bid to lure David Fifita to join the Panthers prize-winning pack, Ivan Cleary has struck back with Papali’i to be released from the final year of his lucrative Tigers deal.
Papali’i’s Tigers salary had increased to about $750,000 over the last two years due to ratchet clauses in his contract, but the club granted him permission to explore his options after a meeting between his management and CEO Shane Richardson last month.
Rival clubs were made aware Papali’i, 25, was available from 2025 at last weekend’s Magic Round. His exit has been just 18 months into what was initially a three-year Tigers deal, which he had second thoughts about last season, after his initial rise to prominence at Parramatta.
The Panthers moved swiftly for the 2021 Dally M second-rower of the year, announcing his signing on Thursday morning.
“We’re thrilled to have secured Isaiah’s services for the next three seasons,” Panthers rugby league CEO Matt Cameron said.
“Not only does Isaiah bring a wealth of experience and leadership capabilities to our club, but he’s also a world-class forward who has proven himself at the highest level.”
Papali’i’s arrival at Penrith comes after the club granted James Fisher-Harris an early release on compassionate grounds to return to New Zealand and the Warriors next season.
With the best part of $1 million to play with, coach Ivan Cleary pursued Titans star Fifita with a $2.5 million, three-year deal with the premiers willing to reshape their forward pack given their varying depth at prop and back row.
The move for Papali’i heralds a similar investment in Penrith’s edges, where Liam Martin already holds status as an elite second-rower on the Panthers right side.
Papali’i’s shift from the Tigers, where he was first signed by Michael Maguire but struggled to replicate his best form under Tim Sheens and then Benji Marshall, heralds the start of a significant roster shake-up at the joint venture.
“This is purely about getting our salary cap in better shape and it’s not a simple thing to do,” Richardson said in a Tigers statement. “Effective salary cap management is so important in this business, and it’s a puzzle you simply must get right if you want to be a successful NRL club.”
Marshall added that he expects Papali’i to see out the rest of 2024 at the Tigers because: “he is a man of high integrity and strong principles, and I know he will continue to live by our standards until he leaves at the end of this season.”
Richardson flew to the UK on Tuesday night scouting potential signings and seeking expressions of interest from Super League clubs for several Tigers players.
Five-eighth Jayden Sullivan, who is set to earn around $600,000 in the final seasons of his four-year deal, centre Brent Naden and veteran back-rower John Bateman are among those the club is willing to offload in a bid to rejuvenate Marshall’s roster.
Papali’i’s release continues the horse-trading between the two western Sydney outfits, with Jarome Luai and Sunia Turuva to join former teammate Api Koroisau at the Tigers next year.
BlackWhiteGold
Well-known member
Interesting that 3-4 weeks ago was the same time the future of Stef started to ramp up, both Stef & IP have same manager hmmmm
