BY DAN

One last contract.

Josh Papalii has been doing it for Canberra for a long time now. His impact is unquestionable: a hero to a city, a leader of men. A man flawed but capable of almost anything, in brute defiance of his body and because of it. First he was a young bull. Then he became a workhorse, dragging a team to heights not seen for a quarter of a century. He played some of the greatest football a prop has ever played. For the club, his state, his country. And now he wants one last deal.

He’s no longer the man he was. But that’s the deal with this stuff. People get old. We can’t have Josh forever, because if we could no one else would get a turn. Even at the backend of his career he’s capable of carving out a first grade quality effort as good as any. In 2023 at age 31 and the best part of 280 games into a career his per game numbers were better than the previous year, and broadly equivalent to most but the peaks of his prime. 120 odd metres a game, 50 post contact. Even in his 30s he was the second most effective Canberra middle, with more metres, post contact or otherwise, more carries over 8 metres, more tackle busts than any middle not named Joe Tapine (i.e arguably the best in the world).

It’s remarkable that he’s still providing value to a deal signed on the back of his brilliant 2020 season. Back then the Raiders were providing full value for a player in their prime, having just put together the two best years of his career. They did this in knowledge that the performance of middles normally craters after they reach the big 3-0. But Papalii has managed to remain effective through Vlandoball, through mixed performance by the Raiders and through his own ageing.

Most recently he carved out a role for himself as a leader of the second unit before injury cruelled his 2023 season before its time. It was but an ember of a way to not just keep him effective but also strengthen a weakness. It was also a good way to manage the longevity of a man that deserves all that football can offer, such has been the gifts he’s bestowed on the game and our city. Over 2023 he crossed 50 minutes in near 40 per cent of his games. That’s not sustainable over the long term, and a role coming off the bench for 40-45 minutes a game is perfect, not just for Papalii’s impact, for his longevity, but also for providing the space for young middles like Ata Mariota, Trey Mooney and others to fill.

And so discussions have begun for one last contact. As Josh told the Canberra Times:

There’s discussions with my management team and the club at the moment…I’m not certain on how it’s going to pan out, but hopefully we’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks.

Here

Papalii’s current deal has an option for 2025, triggered if he plays in 75 per cent of games across 2023 and 2024. He played 18 of 25 in 2023, meaning there’s little margin for him to work with to ensure that deal kicks in. It makes sense if he wants to play on in 2025, and/or beyond, that he’d seek to renegotiate that deal. Take a shave in the top line figure and extend the certainty of the years. It makes sense for him, and would put him in good stead to push into his early-to-mid 30s one last last multi-year deal (one would assume any extension beyond this deal would be a year-to-year thing).

For the Raiders it makes sense too. As noted Papalii is still the Raiders second-most effective middle. Emre Guler seems marked for a bigger role but the jury is out as to whether its deserved. Ata Mariota has showed some of his potential, flashing ankle at a horde of thirsty fans aware of the potential beneath the surface. Trey Mooney might be around (but also might not? What’s doing Donny). This timing for Papalii would the perfect bridge to whatever that future may hold.

There will be those with sharper pens keen to fully embrace the youth movement, keen to move out known quantities for what is in the box. This would be poor business in this case. As noted, Papalii is still more effective than most. Provided a new deal comes with a commensurate pay packet to his role, it makes perfect sense to keep him playing. There’s still plenty of minutes for youth to find if they’re good enough. Indeed the greater concern would be Stuart’s tendency to blockade his 17 with more middling talent.

He’s a leader at the club, and able to shepherd younger players along a pathway to success less bumpy that his own. Players also notice how club’s treat their champions. Canberra haven’t always nailed that in recent years – this is an opportunity (alongside the Smelly and Rapa situations) to prove to the football community they’re capable of transitioning club legends through the phases of their career without alienating them.

The only challenge to getting a deal done is probably the pull of home and family in Brisbane. The general scuttlebutt is that life after football will take him there, and so it becomes a test of whether what’s offered is more appealing than the good life of Queensland’s humidity, murder-noodles and kooky conservatism or whatever else it is people like up there. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the club’s of the south-east corner of the state show interest, but that’s more likely to be if Canberra can’t find something beyond the minimum.

So one more contract. That’s the hope. The Raiders and Papa both have reasons to get it done. There’s a 300 on the horizon (quick, someone knock on Matthew Wood), and it would be nice for Papa to go beyond that through 2025 and maybe 2026 (health pending). After all he’s given to the club it would be well deserved.

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