NRL 2021: Brad Arthur wants Junior Paulo to be Parramatta Eels’ enforcer

Eels coach Brad Arthur reveals the private conversation he had with wrecking ball Junior Paulo to try and break their premiership drought.

He’s the Parramatta powerhouse prop who has already proved himself as the NRL’s new heavyweight king of the boxing ring.

Now Brad Arthur has challenged Junior Paulo to be Parramatta’s “enforcer” as the Eels look to break a premiership drought that stretches all the way back to 1986.

And taking on last year’s grand finalists Penrith this Saturday in the final trial is the perfect dress rehearsal ahead of the new NRL season.

Arthur declared Paulo had come back in “excellent” shape from his boxing stint and was now ready to dish out more punishment doing what he does best.

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Brad Arthur has called on Junior Paulo to stand up and be the Eels’ enforcer in 2021. Picture: Getty Images.

“The week before he was about to go into his last preparation for his boxing you could just tell he was getting a touch tired because he had been doing a lot of training,” Arthur explained about Paulo’s demanding pre-season schedule.

“He was in at work every day at 5’o’clock and doing all his extras.

“But obviously he had the fight and we gave him a couple of days off as a bit of a freshen up and since he’s come back he’s been excellent.

“He looks in good shape, the best I have seen him in a long, long time, and I think he is ready to take his game to the next level.

“I have challenged him with a few things and what I think he should be able to do by the end of the year, and he is committed to it.”

While there’s been a stack of pressure building on star playmaker Mitchell Moses this year to be the man to guide the Eels’ premiership aspirations, you could certainly make an argument that as the leader of the pack Paulo’s job is just as important.

The fact is you don’t win comps unless the forwards lay the platform and there’s no question Paulo didn’t do his reputation any harm with his impressive performance against the hard-as-nails Neville Costigan.

Of course, there’s no punching allowed on the rugby league field these days. But it certainly doesn’t hurt for a front rower to carry a reputation as a bloke who knows how to handle himself just in case.

Junior Paulo came back to Eels pre-season in excellent shape after his boxing match against Neville Costigan. Picture: Matt Taylor.

“Look, I think there is a fair level of respect already for him in the NRL world from the players and Junior is not someone who is loud about that either,” Arthur said.

But what his coach really wants to see is for Paulo just to build on what he did last year and let his football do all the talking.

“He is a real down to earth character but we know that he can be an enforcer and that is what he needs to be for us,” Arthur said.

“He is a very good player. He is big. He is strong. He is mobile. And he is happy to do the tough stuff.

“He can play some pretty stuff for you but he also knows all the effort areas we require from him.

“And the key for ‘Junes’ moving forward I reckon is we need him on the field for as long as possible.

“So he needs to be able to keep quality but do it for longer periods. Like real big minutes.

“He can do 60/65 minutes standing on his head.

“But I want some real big minutes out of him this year.

“I don’t think we need to play him for 80 minutes but I’m sure if we had to call on him for 80 he is smart enough to know how to get himself through it.”

Arthur said he was really looking forward to the weekend trial so the team can iron out any creases in time for round one.

The Eels have probably got the most settled squad they’ve had in years with Tom Opacic taking over from Michael Jennings in the centres the only anticipated change to the starting side.