Josh Papalii‘s agent has confirmed he will speak with the Canberra Raiders at some stage over his client’s future.
The prop is off-contract at the end of 2025 and had been resigned to leaving the club, and likely the NRL at the end of the season with the English Super League his most likely destination.
That has now taken a dramatic turn, with the Raiders forward first admitting while he was in State of Origin camp that he would be open to remaining in the NRL, and then reports surfacing that the Raiders were open to the idea of a backflip.
The Newcastle Knights were the first team believed to be interested in the prop’s services, and while a formal offer hasn’t been made, it still could come if the club lose Tyson Frizell and Dane Gagai at the end of this year.
The experienced duo have offers on the table from Newcastle, but are no guarantee of signing them.
The Knights would then turn to Papalii to replace the lost experience after an exceptionally difficult 2025 season under Adam O’Brien, who could be sacked at the end of the campaign.
Back in the nation’s capital, the Raiders have confirmed they are willing to discuss an extension for Papalii, while his agent Steve Gillis told The Canberra Times this week that they will have a conversation with Don Furner soon, and that negotiations are cotinuing with clubs in England – likely the St Helens Saints.
“I’m sure we’ll have a conversation [with Furner] at some stage, sooner rather than later,” Gillis told the publication.
“We’re still negotiating with England. No decision has been made; we’re still working through it all. It’s still too early to forecast how it’s going to unravel.”
The comments seem to suggest Papalii is still some distance away from confirming where he will play in 2026, with the recalled Origin veteran seemingly set to play on for another year one way or another.
The Raiders will need to balance their own roster to re-sign Papalii, with the likes of Corey Horsburgh, Joseph Tapine, Morgan Smithies and Ata Mariota all established first-graders.