The Parramatta Eels have confirmed a double raid on the Canterbury Bulldogs' junior stocks, signing Joash Papalii and Jordan Samrani, while they have also re-signed Matt Doorey.
Papalii is rated as one of the best young fullbacks in the game.
He played 20 NSW Cup games this year, taking his tally to 36 in total, adding 15 try assists and running for 113 metres per game.
Papalii is a former Australian Schoolboy and New South Wales under-19s player.
Samrani is a little further behind in development than Papalii, but still played 16 reserve grade games in 2024, scoring 6 tries and running for 125 metres per contest while splitting his time between centre, second-row and wing.
He is predominantly a centre, but will bring added versatility to Parramatta.
โWe are thrilled to welcome both Joash and Jordan to the Parramatta Eels family,โ Parramatta general manager of football Mark O'Neill said in a statement confirming the news.
โJoash is an incredibly exciting young talent who possesses great speed and agility. He has previously represented Australian Schoolboys and NSW Under 19s and will add great depth to our NRL playing squad.
โJordan is a big man, predominantly an outside back who can also add versatility to our squad.
โHe has already shown great promise and we're excited to see how he further develops within our program.โ
Both players have signed on with Parramatta until the end of the 2026 NRL season, while Doorey, who has battled injury in recent times, has re-signed also through to the end of 2026.
โMatt has shown great resilience in overcoming injury, and we're confident that his best football is still ahead of him,โ O'Neill said.
Doorey, also a Canterbury junior, made just four NRL appearances in 2024, with the second-rower having played 14 games for the Eels since he made the switch in 2023, to go with his previous 18 games at Belmore after making his NRL debut in 2020.
