More recently, he re-signed with the club<\/a> for another year, and at the Canberra Raiders Meninga Medal awards on Monday night, he became a life member of the club.<\/p>\n Papalii told CD it was around Round 6 when he \u201cthought I was gone\u201d from the club.<\/p>\n \u201cI went to the club to see where negotiations were at and my manager came back and said, \u2018I think we\u2019ve got to look around,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I personally didn\u2019t. I left it for a few weeks and there were rumours coming out that Super League was an option. Then all these NRL clubs were popping up and I did not talk to one.\u201d<\/p>\n Papalii said while everyone made speculations about where he was going, he knew he made the right decision to stay with the Raiders.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only for myself, but my wife, my children, obviously they\u2019re going to be there no matter what, whether my friends are here or not,\u201d Papalii told CD.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, I made this decision for my family, and I think I decided right in the end.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then to be fair, I\u2019ve been here the longest out of the playing group at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like I\u2019m at home at the moment and playing some decent footy, so it\u2019s sort of all just helped my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n He said there was just one more thing to do to top off the \u201ccrazy year so far\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s win the comp this year. And that\u2019s the cherry on top,\u201d Papalii said.<\/p>\n The prop joined the Raiders in 2011 and has made 328 appearances for his team since, including the 2019 Grand Final against the Sydney Roosters.<\/p>\n Looking back at the Raiders\u2019 loss against the Brisbane Broncos<\/a> in a sold-out home Qualifying Final on Sunday, Papalii said while it was a disappointment, it was also a learning curve.<\/p>\n \u201cFor not only players like me and Joe Taps (captain Joe Tapine) who are more experienced, but all the younger boys that are playing their first finals game and get to be a part of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cTo finally see the atmosphere of the Canberra fans. Just a great turnout for the club but like I said before, we were on the wrong side of the result there.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m turning up with a smile on my face. I\u2019m holding my head up high, I think that\u2019s all we can do at this stage and obviously just turn up on Thursday (to training) with a positive mindset to train well.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then hopefully go out on Saturday and perform well.\u201d<\/p>\n Leading up to the game, there was uncertainty as to whether Papalii would play due to an ankle injury.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, still a bit throbby, to be honest. It\u2019s still swollen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t mind games; I definitely hurt my ankle. But obviously just sat on the ice machine for two-and-a-half days just to try to get it as good as I could to perform on Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it did \u2013 but also didn\u2019t \u2013 have an impact on the way he played on Sunday.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a few question marks over myself and my ability but once I got out there and warmed up and you could hear the Canberra crowd, adrenaline took over,\u201d Papalii said.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I couldn\u2019t put my boot on properly but other than that, I was fine.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had injuries before that have held me back a little bit, but once I hear the crowd, I\u2019m all guns blazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Papalii said following the match, coach Ricky Stuart messaged the players telling them to hold their heads up and remain confident in their ability to get the job done.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Ricky named the same 17 that played in week one of the finals to take on the Sutherland-Cronulla Sharks at GIO Stadium this Saturday night, which is expected to sell out.<\/p>\n Legend-ary mural in Dickson:<\/p>\n A mural by artist Fangaroo has popped up in the main shopping strip of Dickson in honour of the Raiders\u2019 three most-capped players: Papalii, Jason Croker and Jarrod Croker.<\/p>\n Papalii said it was cool to get the recognition for his longevity in the game.<\/p>\n \u201cMy barber\u2019s actually just right around the corner, so just driving past and seeing the painting there is obviously cool,\u201d he told CD.<\/p>\n There is also another mural of Papalii in Turner.<\/p>\n Jarrod Croker told CD it was nice to be recognised.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially alongside those two legends as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cOld Toots (Jason) I\u2019m good mates with him; there have been lots of good times together.<\/p>\n \u201cPapa is one of my great mates and teammates, our kids have grown up together. [It\u2019s fantastic] to see him still here and breaking records.\u201d<\/p>\n Canberra Daily would love to hear from you about a story idea in Canberra and the surrounding region.\u00a0Click here to submit a news tip.<\/a><\/p>\n Feeling social? Follow Canberra Daily:\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0X (Twitter)<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Tik Tok<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PXL_20250830_014008431.MP_.jpg\"\/)
The mural of Jason Croker, Jarrod Croker and Josh Papalii at the Dickson shops. Photo: Lillian Altman<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/life-members-photo-courtesy-of-Canberra-Raiders.jpg\"\/)
Jarrod Croker, Jason Croker and Josh Papalii with their Life Member awards. Photo courtesy of the Canberra Raiders<\/p>\n