Isaiah Papali’i #265

[avocadoontoast]

We showed last year sometimes you need to go all in and pay a bit more to get the player. We were too conservative last year and got noone.

Whilst we not offering stupid money for a player like mbye or Reynolds this bloke has plenty upside and we can afford it

The right type of player will always outplay his contract value, barring injury. I think Papa is one.

We haven't paid stupid money either. We've paid good money but not stupid.

Fifita is on 1 million +. Is Fifita a better player ?

Yes he is.

I don’t think he is. I think Fifita is terribly overrated.

Goes missing a lot and is very ineffective without the ball. Titans payed way way too much.

He's a bit of a flat track bully.

He played an outstanding game when play from the interchange so he can provide maximum impact. To me, Garner and Leilua are similar types of impact forwards if played from the interchange.

I was talking about Fifita. I think he's a bit overrated.

 

[TheDaBoss]

We showed last year sometimes you need to go all in and pay a bit more to get the player. We were too conservative last year and got noone.

Whilst we not offering stupid money for a player like mbye or Reynolds this bloke has plenty upside and we can afford it

The right type of player will always outplay his contract value, barring injury. I think Papa is one.

We haven't paid stupid money either. We've paid good money but not stupid.

Fifita is on 1 million +. Is Fifita a better player ?

Yes he is.

I don’t think he is. I think Fifita is terribly overrated.

Goes missing a lot and is very ineffective without the ball. Titans payed way way too much.

He's a bit of a flat track bully.

He played an outstanding game when play from the interchange so he can provide maximum impact. To me, Garner and Leilua are similar types of impact forwards if played from the interchange.

I was talking about Fifita. I think he's a bit overrated.

Tbh he hasnt been the same since he left donkeys

I think he like brooks..needs the right type of coach to bring out the best in him cause he has the raw talent

 

[pawsandclaws1]

We showed last year sometimes you need to go all in and pay a bit more to get the player. We were too conservative last year and got noone.

Whilst we not offering stupid money for a player like mbye or Reynolds this bloke has plenty upside and we can afford it

The right type of player will always outplay his contract value, barring injury. I think Papa is one.

We haven't paid stupid money either. We've paid good money but not stupid.

Fifita is on 1 million +. Is Fifita a better player ?

Yes he is.

I don’t think he is. I think Fifita is terribly overrated.

Goes missing a lot and is very ineffective without the ball. Titans payed way way too much.

He's a bit of a flat track bully.

He played an outstanding game when play from the interchange so he can provide maximum impact. To me, Garner and Leilua are similar types of impact forwards if played from the interchange.

I was talking about Fifita. I think he's a bit overrated.

So was I. Fifita played a great game for Titans from the interchange. He changed the course of the game with the quality of touches with the ball.

 

[avocadoontoast]

We showed last year sometimes you need to go all in and pay a bit more to get the player. We were too conservative last year and got noone.

Whilst we not offering stupid money for a player like mbye or Reynolds this bloke has plenty upside and we can afford it

The right type of player will always outplay his contract value, barring injury. I think Papa is one.

We haven't paid stupid money either. We've paid good money but not stupid.

Fifita is on 1 million +. Is Fifita a better player ?

Yes he is.

I don’t think he is. I think Fifita is terribly overrated.

Goes missing a lot and is very ineffective without the ball. Titans payed way way too much.

He's a bit of a flat track bully.

He played an outstanding game when play from the interchange so he can provide maximum impact. To me, Garner and Leilua are similar types of impact forwards if played from the interchange.

I was talking about Fifita. I think he's a bit overrated.

So was I. Fifita played a great game for Titans from the interchange. He changed the course of the game with the quality of touches with the ball.

Oh I see, sorry. I think he's a good player with a heap of natural ability, but he's wildly overpaid at $1.2m. All things being even I think i'd prefer Papali'i

 

[dazza65]

Gotta laugh. Great signing, "potentially" the best signing we have had a for quite some time and yet we have pages of arguments over who was responsible for the signing. Seriously, enjoy the signing and lets hope there are more to come. Well done WT.

 

[pawsandclaws1]

We showed last year sometimes you need to go all in and pay a bit more to get the player. We were too conservative last year and got noone.

Whilst we not offering stupid money for a player like mbye or Reynolds this bloke has plenty upside and we can afford it

The right type of player will always outplay his contract value, barring injury. I think Papa is one.

We haven't paid stupid money either. We've paid good money but not stupid.

Fifita is on 1 million +. Is Fifita a better player ?

Yes he is.

I don’t think he is. I think Fifita is terribly overrated.

Goes missing a lot and is very ineffective without the ball. Titans payed way way too much.

He's a bit of a flat track bully.

He played an outstanding game when play from the interchange so he can provide maximum impact. To me, Garner and Leilua are similar types of impact forwards if played from the interchange.

I was talking about Fifita. I think he's a bit overrated.

So was I. Fifita played a great game for Titans from the interchange. He changed the course of the game with the quality of touches with the ball.

Oh I see, sorry. I think he's a good player with a heap of natural ability, but he's wildly overpaid at $1.2m. All things being even I think i'd prefer Papali'i

Both are very good players.

 

[Magpieger]

Wests Tigers Director of Football Tim Sheens said he was pleased to add a player of Papali’i’s calibre to the club.

“Isaiah is an exceptionally talented young forward who has shown himself to be a player with a fantastic attitude, work-ethic and drive,” Sheens said.

Reading this made me feel all warm and fuzzy coz these are the exact traits we're looking for. Bloody good signing for the club and a big sigh of relief for us fans. Well done WT's.

 

[FinestTigers]

This is one of the most significant recent signings in the NRL by any club, This is the clincher the WT fans were waiting for, and the WT have scored the clincher after many years of frustrations.

The journo's of the telecrap and others know that there's a different feel about the WT now and they don't know how to react to it yet.

But the.WT fans would know that this just the beginning of the signing of many more quality players who will be coming to play for the mighty WT. 

 

[Magpieger]

Also, I hope he doesn't agitate for an early release. I lost all respect for the players who did it to us, such low-calibre brats. Having said that, if the club took the initiative to bring him over sooner, thats fair enough to me. Parra's on the ropes, lets rip a few body blows and see what might happen.

 

[bathursttiger1]

Also, I hope he doesn't agitate for an early release. I lost all respect for the players who did it to us, such low-calibre brats. Having said that, if the club took the initiative to bring him over sooner, thats fair enough to me. Parra's on the ropes, lets rip a few body blows and see what might happen.

From Fox:

Quoting Sheens.

Isaiah Papali’i has signed for the Wests Tigers for the 2023 season and despite his departure there is one bit of good news for the Eels.

Papali’i has expressed no desire to leave the Parramatta side early and the Tigers are reportedly happy to see him stay and develop in the blue and gold jersey in 2022.

Regularly when a player signs a contract 12 months in advance the new club attempts to bring their star recruit over for the coming season, but not in this case according to Wests Tigers Director of Football Tim Sheens.

“It wasn’t even discussed during negotiations,” Sheens told Wide World of Sports.

“We are building towards 2023 and that is when Isaiah will be joining us - not before.”

 

[Moh]

I don't think he's a bad player, but I must really be missing something....

So much excitement, and hes not even here till 2023.

Hope he can keep up his form next season, or it's gonna be ugly.

 

[tig_prmz]

Someone mentioned here that he's had one good year which is technically true but that one good year was worth giving him a massive contract. If we didn't, another club who wanted an edge forward would have.

I hope that people don't turn on the football staff even if this signing doesn't work out. We turned on the staff when Reynolds, Mbye and Parker didn't work out but if you look back to the threads of their signing, most people were just as supportive of the signings as they are of Papali'i.

I also wish that when Sheens was asked if there is any chance he can come in 2022, he should've had a sarcastic comment that "we like our players and coaches to honour their contract" .. swiping at Moses and Matterson.

I think 400-600k is asking price for a backrower whi is just about average and if he plays at 80% then it's still worth that contract. Problem with Reynolds, mbye and packer was we paid massive overs for their contracts

Not according to most on here at the time.

 

[TigerWest]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/sheens-lands-first-signing-with-papali-i-to-join-tigers-from-eels-20211118-p59a3v.html
‘The kid can play’: Sheens says Papali’i will have huge impact on Tigers
Christian Nicolussi
By Christian Nicolussi
November 18, 2021 — 3.43pm
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Wests Tigers director of football Tim Sheens says Isaiah Papali’i will be the first and last Eels player the club targets after he joined them on a three-year deal worth just under $2 million from 2023.

The Dally M second-rower of the year was locked in negotiations with Parramatta about an extension before their western Sydney rivals pounced.

Sheens said Papali’i was someone who would “improve our football team on and off the field”, but there was next to no chance of him heading to Concord early in time for the 2022 season.

Sheens also confirmed halfback and Newcastle target Luke Brooks was staying put and “has got around training the past couple of days with a smile on his face”, the Josh Hodgson deal had stalled with Canberra while they were still in the market for an “experienced centre or back-rower who can play centre”.

Papali’i enjoyed a breakout year with Parramatta in 2021, and despite the Eels promising to bump up his deal for 2022 - which was just south of $200,000 - the Tigers blew their western Sydney neighbours out of the water.

**Sheens refused to take credit for getting the Papali’i deal over the line, and praised coach Michael Maguire for flagging the 23-year-old who can play on an edge or in the middle in the first place. Maguire will also relish the chance to work with Papali’i with New Zealand at next year’s World Cup.**

“Isaiah is someone who had a breakout year on the field, and while we won’t see him until 2023, it’s a move in the right direction for us,” Sheens told the Herald. “He’s a student of the game and the kid can clearly play.

“As far as I can see, Isaiah will improve our football team and a player who will have an influence on our team, on and off the field.”

Papali’i has often praised his mother Lorina for the influence on his career - he told the Herald earlier this year his mum could hit just as hard as his NRL rivals - and Lorina said there had been a lot of conversations about his next deal.

“He was very torn and he really wanted Parramatta to match [the deal], but the Tigers’ offer he couldn’t refuse,” Lorina said from Auckland on Thursday night.

“At the end of the day you only have one life and one opportunity and you need to make the most of it because you don’t know when it could all end.”

Lorina said her son would give his all for the Eels next year “and it would be great if they could win it and finish on a high, especially with so many of them unsure if they will still be together”.

Papali’i’s exit comes just a week after fellow Eels back-rower Marata Niukore signed a whopping four-year deal with the Warriors from 2023.
Parramatta’s player retention strategy has become a huge off-season talking point with so many of their players off contract at the end of next year and officially free to sign deals with rivals for the following season.

Clint Gutherson, Reed Mahoney and Junior Paulo are three of their biggest stars – and all managed by Sam Ayoub – and have generated intense interest.

Papali’i was keen to stay in Australia and left the Warriors after the 2020 season to test himself out of his comfort zone. That Papali’i is on a contract for 2022 which hardly befits his new-found standing in the game will do little to help the Eels retain their headliners.

Meanwhile, Dylan Walker has re-signed with the Manly Sea Eagles until the end of 2022 with coach Des Hasler saying: “Dylan is a very experienced player, his re-signing was a high priority for us.”

Paws won’t be happy?😂😂😂

 

[TigerWest]

Credit where credit is due, this is a massive signing, Tim Sheens hits the ground running.

He gave Madge the credit?

 

[twentyforty]

Credit where credit is due, this is a massive signing, Tim Sheens hits the ground running.

He gave Madge the credit?

That’s what I’ve always liked about the way Sheens goes about his business. He sets an example for others, it’s what leaders do. He doesn’t care who gets the credit, as long as it happens and you can only have that mindset if you’re strongly focussed on the big prize.
The pats on the back come from the opinions of others, that’s not the reward leaders strive for.

 

[tiger_scott]

Be nice if we make the 8 in '22 anyway. Adding Papali'i and some others to the team in '23 might be enough to get us deep into the finals. The only way is up from here!


 

[Nelson]

I don't think he's a bad player, but I must really be missing something....

So much excitement, and hes not even here till 2023.

Hope he can keep up his form next season, or it's gonna be ugly.

Did you watch any Parramatta games this year?

 

[TigerWest]

I don't think he's a bad player, but I must really be missing something....

So much excitement, and hes not even here till 2023.

Hope he can keep up his form next season, or it's gonna be ugly.

Every signing has it risks?

 

[mike]

Be nice if we make the 8 in '22 anyway. Adding Papali'i and some others to the team in '23 might be enough to get us deep into the finals. The only way is up from here!


From an engineering perspective the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

 

[Tigerwould]

It would be nice if the club organise a photo of Papali’i , Stefano Utoikamanu and Alex Twal?
I’d like to send it a friend, with a thank you message