‘I wasn’t performing’: Papali’i’s rise from Tigers failure to Panthers resurgence in GF redemption bid

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Despite the tough stretch at the Tigers, Papali’i doesn’t blame the club and conceded he was not at his best for those two seasons.

“I think it has lifted a lot of pressure, but also just making sure that I don’t think that what I give to the team here isn’t important, just maybe a little bit less pressure and I really just enjoy my footy with the people at Penrith,” Papali’i told foxsports.com.au.

“I guess I wasn’t performing, so I kind of made the pressure feel a bit more intense, so I kind of put it upon myself to kind of take that on the chin because I wasn’t performing and obviously, you’re there to do a job and I wasn’t doing that, so I think that’s more on me than them.”

However, Papali’i had to swallow his ego and play a new role on the bench for the Panthers and then was injured early in the season as Penrith slumped to last after 12 rounds.

Despite the horror start to his time at the Panthers, Papali’i never once questioned his move to Penrith.

“Not really, just the culture around here is kind of trusting what you’re doing and I kind of looked inward and everyone did that individually,” Papali’i said.

“After that Knights game was a big moment and then just got a roll on from there, so as much as it was hard, I didn’t regret that decision.”

Something that helped Papali’i keep perspective during the Panthers’ form slump was the arrival of his first baby the weekend the club lost to the Knights in Bathurst.

“It was weird because that weekend I had my baby, so I was kind of on my own buzz, excited and enjoying life,” Papali’i said of the brutal review session.

“So coming in that Tuesday after I had a couple days off and I was in rehab, but Ivan kind of had a pretty big talk to all of us and then we did a pretty tough session in the wrestle room, so I think it was a hard talk, but it’s something that we needed and I think we responded pretty well.”

Being injured allowed Papali’i to bond with his newborn, but he also knew he had to be ready to turn things around in on the field when he returned.

“I just had to do what I had to do,” Papali’i said of parenting.

“I was still in the off feet group, so I didn’t get smashed in the wrestle room, but I knew that I had to keep ticking along and make sure that I was ready to come back ready to go.

“So the family were good, I had the in-laws over for help around the house. I was kind of just taking each little moment along the way and it was fun.

“It’s been great, the in-laws, even my parents and we have had plenty of visitors come over, so lots of hands to help around the house and growing fast so making sure that I’m enjoying it.”

Papali’i credits his parents with keeping him grounded during the turbulent times in his career, but he stops short of asking his mum for footy advice.

His mother, Lorina Papali’i, represented New Zealand in rugby league and Samoa in rugby union.

“No, she’s just mum, not anything to do with footy,” Papali’i said.

“Sometimes when I’m driving to work or something like that, I’ll give a call to my mum and dad, just to catch up and then kind of just reset the dial for me personally and kind of bounce into work with just a bit more energy knowing that I’ve just kept in touch with mum and dad. “So that’s probably not really footy-talk, just more life in general.”

As fate would have it Papali’i returned against the Tigers in the second game of the Panthers’ nine-game winning streak that turned around their title defence.

“For me, it was a bit weird, but I kind of just kept doubling down on my preparation and making sure I was ready for whatever role I had to play in the team,” Papali’i said of his return.

“I kind of just trusted that everyone was doing their own roles, preparing to the best of their ability and then I kind of just started clicking midway through the year and then just the confidence around the boys just kept building, which was a good thing.”

Papali’i is now back to his best and he credits the superior preparation at Penrith with restoring his form.

“Just the detail in my preparation, doing things that are going to benefit me in the game, not just mindlessly doing drills for no reason,” Papali’i said.

“It’s funny I get into the game and I realise little moments that I’ve done in the week and I kind of prepared myself for that moment, so just making sure my training is diligent in detail so that the game kind of comes second nature.

“I’ve always prided myself on being a hard trainer, but the diligence in my work has been helping me. That’s the reason why I think I’ve been playing pretty disciplined.”

Papali’i also credits Penrith’s focus on the mental side of the game with helping him rediscover his best footy.

“I think more it’s not just the on-field stuff, it’s a lot of the off-field stuff, like mentality and things like that,” Papali’i said.

“They are massive on mentality here and as much as the game is physical, it’s also played in your head, so just making sure we’re all on top of that.

“Everyone’s different, everyone needs their own way of dealing with pressure and things like that, but just learning about those things has been helpful and just making sure you get everyone on the same page.”

Papali’i praised coach Ivan Cleary for helping the team navigate their early season form slump and turn things around.

“He took it on the chin as well,” Papali’i said of Cleary.

“He didn’t just put it all on us, which is a tough thing to do, but I guess that speaks volumes about how he is as a coach.

“And he was pretty calm through it all, which is also good, so as much as it was hard, everyone has a little bit of head noise, so seeing him calm kind of helped out.

“When he felt like he had enough or thought it was time to put his foot down, he did it and I think everyone responded well and I think that’s the respect that this team has for him and shows that he knows when to say what he has to say.”

Panthers’ hooker Mitch Kenny credits Papali’i as one of the catalysts for turning the club’s season around.

“He’s a gun, I’ve been so impressed and he is one of those blokes I probably felt for because I felt like he was one of our best players during that time when we weren’t playing well,” Kenny said of Papali’i.

“He was just working his ass off, but we probably let him down and now that the team is clicking into gear a little bit more, the work he’s done is starting to be a bit more fruitful.

“He’s flying for us. He’s a massive part of our team. We love him here and we’re so glad he’s here.”

Now Papali’i is one game away from his second Grand Final and he is hopeful of getting the chocolates this time, but he is not getting ahead of himself.

“I’m pretty eager to get back,” Papali’i said of a second Grand Final.

“I just know that I can’t really look past this Sunday though because Broncos are a big challenge and it’s going to be our grand final because if we don’t win this week then don’t even get the shot, so making sure that I’m keeping getting my preparation right and then be ready for this Sunday.”

The humble Papali’i believes his form is getting closer to his best seasons in the NRL at the Eels, albeit in a different role.

“Yeah, a little bit,” Papali’i said of getting back to his form from the Eels in 2022.

“Playing a different role here, which is hard to compare to that year, but I do feel like I’m making an impact when I’m on the field, so that’s what I aim to do, especially coming off the bench, so I think that’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”