{"id":51640,"date":"2025-06-30T00:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T00:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/?p=51640"},"modified":"2025-06-30T00:03:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T00:03:14","slug":"canberra-raiders-legend-closing-in-on-two-year-contract-with-new-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/?p=51640","title":{"rendered":"Canberra Raiders legend closing in on two-year contract with new club&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"d79db4796efc26332eabfc3f5dafbc76\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<div class=\"hb-ad-inarticle\">\r\n    <div class=\"hb-ad-inner\"> \r\n    <div class=\"hbagency_cls\"  id=\"hbagency_space_111930\"><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Canberra Raiders legend closing in on two-year contract with new club&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Canberra Raiders icon Josh\u202fPapali\u2019i is on the verge of signing a two\u2011year contract with Super League club St\u202fHelens, beginning in the 2026 season. The veteran prop\u2014widely known as \u201cPapa\u201d\u2014is set to leave the NRL after a decorated career that saw him become Canberra\u2019s all\u2011time most\u2011capped player, with over 320 appearances .<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-51645\" src=\"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/images-2025-06-30T010207.363-300x168.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/images-2025-06-30T010207.363-300x168.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.letsportsrock.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/images-2025-06-30T010207.363.jpeg 739w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>According to reports, Papali\u2019i had not been offered a contract beyond 2025 by the Raiders. He informed the club of his intention to play overseas rather than join a rival NRL team\u2014out of loyalty to Canberra . Discussions are progressing with St\u202fHelens for a deal that secures his services for two seasons at the start of 2026.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Long\u2011time Raider: Debuted in 2010 and has become the club\u2019s leading appearance maker with over 320 games .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Contract status: Off contract after the 2025 season; declined other NRL offers to continue his career overseas .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Move to Super League: In advanced negotiations with St\u202fHelens for a two\u2011year deal starting in 2026 .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Official statements: Raiders coach Ricky Stuart praised Papali\u2019i\u2019s loyalty and impact, noting he \u201ccan\u2019t play against the Raiders\u201d in the NRL .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This move marks the end of an NRL era and the beginning of a new chapter in the UK. He&#8217;ll bring veteran presence, grit, and experience to St\u202fHelens, while Canberra bids farewell to one of its most celebrated stalwarts.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Let me know if you\u2019d like to dive deeper into his time at Canberra, the impact on both teams, or how this affects Super League dynamics!<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Canberra Raiders legend closing in on two-year contract with new club&#8230; &nbsp; Canberra Raiders icon Josh\u202fPapali\u2019i is on the verge of signing a two\u2011year contract with Super League club St\u202fHelens, beginning in the 2026 season. The veteran prop\u2014widely known as \u201cPapa\u201d\u2014is set to leave the NRL after a decorated career that saw him become Canberra\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":51644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[701],"class_list":["post-51640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-canberra-raiders"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Canberra Raiders legend closing in on two-year contract with new club...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Canberra Raiders legend closing in on two-year contract with new club...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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