Isaiah Papali’i has conceded he never truly hit his strongest heights while playing for the Tigers, admitting he’s struggled to make an meaningful impact since joining the wooden spooner club last year.
The second rower has come clean on his form after being tapped on the shoulder by the Wests Tigers, looking back on his (ongoing) 33-game stint at Concord with a harsh light.
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“It is obvious we aren’t getting results or playing the footy I had become used to in Parramatta [Eels] colours. It’s tough to hear it but it’s pretty much facts,” Papali’i said.
The Tigers star continued: “I have struggled to find form and that led to not having a definitive answer of where my future was here. We both agreed my form wasn’t the best and that had led to me having an answer to what my manager was asking.
“I can’t dwell on what it has been like, I can just make sure I play good footy for the last six games I have.”
🚨🏉 Isaiah Papali’i concedes he’s struggled at @WestsTigers—and that’s “just facts”
He also suggested things haven’t been helped by “not getting results or playing the footy I had become used to in Parra colours”
(via @dailytelegraph) pic.twitter.com/vVftj3Vs36
— The Sporting Base – NRL (@BaseNrl) July 23, 2024
Papali’i now has a chance to refind that Eels magic heading into next season, with the Kiwi international on the move—he’s been snapped up by Ivan Cleary and the Penrith Panthers after being told by the Tigers he could leave.
While the 25-year-old was surprised to be shown the door so quickly at Wests, he added he was “very lucky” that Penrith came knocking basically as soon as he was put in the window.
“I had a meeting with the coach [Cleary]. He’s seen me over the years, and seen the footy I like to play,” Papali’i said. “They are well stacked in terms of middles and when Fish [James Fisher-Harris] made his decision, it opened the door for them to fill a spot they needed and they thought a backrower was what they could go looking for.”
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“If there was nothing [at the Tigers] for me,” Papali’i then added on his Wests exit, “I thought I might as well clear up some cap space and let the club do their thing and make a squad they can build on.”
