Itโs becoming clear that Parramatta Eels back-rower Isaiah Papaliโi wonโt be making a decision on whether or not to commit to his impending move to the Wests Tigers before the last possible moment, as the Eels prepare for their first preliminary final in 13 years.
The hard-running 24-year-old was announced as a new Wests Tigersโ recruit back in November 2021, but has grown increasingly vague when discussing the issue of whether he would fulfil his part of the deal after a season that saw the Tigers mired in controversy.
The deal wasnโt helped by the early-season sacking of coach Michael Maguire, who had been heavily involved in securing Papaliโiโs services to begin with, nor the fact that the Eels have gone the distance in 2022, just one game short of a grand final appearance.
Itโs clear the connection between Papaliโi and the blue-and-gold is strong, but it remains to be seen whether that rose-tinted nostalgia and friendships could get in the way of the Tigersโ plans.
โIt was a big sacrifice for myself, moving away from home (to Parramatta),โ Papaliโi told 9 News.
โI wanted to make sure I wasnโt just wasting my time being away (from NZ).โ
โThe players around me have challenged me week-in, week-out.
โIโm just soaking up little moments around here. Sometimes I get here a bit earlier than I should and just walk around and have a laugh with the boys."
Though heโs clearly focused on the massive opportunity the Eels are facing, when prompted directly on the question of his impending move, Papaliโi maintained the same stance โ or lack of โ that heโs maintained in recent weeks.
โThereโs nothing I can really say about my future at the moment.
โ(Tim Sheens and Benji Marshall) have reached out to me a couple of times, checking in on me and things like that and I appreciate it, but obviously they understand that this is a massive opportunity for this club.โ
