Papalii and Arrow to battle for Queensland’s No. 13 jersey in Raiders-Titans NRL clash

RAIDERS hitman Josh Papalii has thrown himself into the mix for Queensland’s No. 13 jersey and will go toe-to-toe with the Titans’ Jai Arrow on Saturday in what shapes as a duel to be Maroons lock.

Josh Papalii. Photo: Peter Wallis

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RAIDERS hitman Josh Papalii is back to his bruising best and has thrown himself into the mix for Queensland’s No. 13 jersey.

Papalii and Titans tearaway Jai Arrow will go toe-to-toe in Canberra on Saturday in what shapes as a duel to be crowned Maroons lock.

Josh Papalii of the Raiders during Round 8 vs the Cowboys. Photo: AAP

Papalii, 25, was languishing in reserve grade a few weeks ago, down on form and battling the bulge as Canberra struggled to get going.

But the nine-Origin Queensland incumbent has burst back to life in the past three weeks and was sensational in Canberra’s upset victory over North Queensland last week.

Maroons coach Kevin Walters was in the commentary box at 1300SMILES Stadium as the 112kg Papalii crunched Cowboys rivals with every opportunity.

With Test lock Josh McGuire (ankle) set to miss Origin I at the MCG on June 6, Walters is eyeing off the in-form Arrow to make his Maroons debut.

But the experienced Papalii has given Walters a welcome selection headache and could secure a starting berth for the Maroons.

“I’m always happy watching Big Papa play,” Walters said.

“He has been around the Origin team for three or four years now. He has got that experience at that level.

“He is a quality player and a big man who can knock out the minutes.

“He played 40 minutes straight (against the Cowboys) which is a good sign. You can tell someone is fit when they do that in a pretty intense game.

“His last couple of weeks have been really impressive. We know the quality of the player he is. He looks really fit and motivated as well.”

Papalii was sensational for Queensland last year, but off-field issues plagued his season and he was dropped from the Kangaroos.

Josh Papalii at Samoa training last November. Photo: Stewart McLean

His weight ballooned during Samoa’s failed World Cup campaign, and he reported for pre-season training in the nation’s capital in poor shape.

Off-contract at season’s end, the signs were not good for Papalii when he was dropped after four rounds, but the Logan product has fought his way back into Origin contention.

“There were reasons I dropped Josh,” Raiders coach Ricky Stuart said.

“We sat down and spoke about that. That’s in the past now.

“He has got three very good games under his belt now. Two wins out of the three.

“It’s good for Josh. I’m happy for Josh. He is a big part of our team. We need Josh playing well.

“I’m sure Kevin would have been very happy with that performance.”

Originally published as Papalii and Arrow to battle for Queensland’s No. 13 jersey in Raiders-Titans NRL clash