As he still comes to grips with the “detailed” and “challenging” Penrith system, star recruit Isaiah Papali’i will begin his tenure as a Panther off the interchange bench.
On Tuesday, four-time premiership-winning coach Ivan Cleary named the 26-year-old in jersey ‘15’ for this Sunday afternoon’s blockbuster season opener against the Cronulla Sharks in Las Vegas.
Papali’i was tipped to start in the back-row alongside representative forward Liam Martin, however Cleary sprung a surprise when he handed in his team earlier this week.
The former Tigers, Eels and Warriors forward was one of Penrith’s big off-season acquisitions following the departure of legendary prop James Fisher-Harris to New Zealand.
Speaking with Extra Time prior to leaving for the US, Papali’i said as soon as Fisher-Harris announced he was leaving Penrith, he jumped at the opportunity to join the defending Premiers.
“My manager and I had been working on the deal a little bit away from everyone, which was nice because it kept the whispers out of it, and then when it was official, it was official,” he said.
“It wasn’t as black and white as it appeared. We had good talks and thought about it, not only with me and my manager and the clubs (Wests and Penrith), but also my family and what we thought was best for me.”
By his own admission, Papali’i wasn’t his best self at the Tigers.
A Dally M Second Rower of the Year at Parramatta in 2022, Papali’i admits his form plateaued at Concord and he was never able to get back to the style of footy that he was playing at the Eels.
Determined to get back to his best at the Panthers, Papali’i said fitness and game preparation were his biggest issues at Benji Marshall’s Tigers.
“Reflecting on my time there, it was a little bit frustrating but you can’t really do anything about those years that have gone past now. It’s time to look forward and make sure that I’m putting in the work, so that I have no excuse not to play well and be best prepared, so I can keep progressing and growing,” he said.
“I think the more experience that I get here, the more I’ll be able to do it effortlessly without thinking too much.
“I want to make sure that my backyard is looked after and that I’m ready to play whenever I get the opportunity. I just don’t want to have any reason to plateau here and the best way to eliminate that is by preparing well and being ready.”
While this weekend’s game at Allegiant Stadium will be Papali’i’s first official match in Panthers colours, he did manage to squeeze in a pre-season trial when Penrith played fellow Vegas team Canberra at Shark Park earlier this month.
Now at his fourth NRL club, Papali’i said he was nervous for his first hit-out with his new team due to the pressure of playing with the back-to-back-to-back-to-back Premiers.
“I was excited and nervous for that game,” he admitted.
“I think I did feel the pressure that’s why I was so nervous to play, but then once I played that game along with the little in-house trial that we had, the more I wanted to play footy with this group and the more confident I got.
“Now, I’m looking forward to Vegas and officially debuting for the club and roll on from there.”
And with the Las Vegas game just days away, Panthers fans can look forward to seeing the best of Papali’i again as he becomes more and more comfortable on and off the field.
“Already I can see that I’m more physically fit and more mentally locked in here,” Papali’i admitted.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.