How Josh Papalii and Ricky Stuart mended their alliance after Eels deal fell through
When Josh Papalii reneged on his contract to go to the Eels it looked like his relationship Ricky Stuart was over. Then Stuart got the job at Canberra - and peace talks had to begin.
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It was the secret meeting on Queensland soil between Josh Papalii and Ricky Stuart that brokered peace – and put the Raiders on the path to the NRL grand final.
The Sunday Mail can reveal how a heart-to-heart between Papalii and Stuart to ease tensions over a contract spat helped the pair build an unbreakable bond ahead of tonight’s grand-final against the Roosters at ANZ Stadium.
Papalii will be Stuart’s primary front-row weapon to topple the Roosters on Sunday at Homebush, but six years ago the pair were embroiled in drama after the Raiders enforcer sensationally reneged on a deal with the Eels.
At the time, Stuart was coaching Parramatta and believed he had pulled off a masterstroke by poaching the off-contract Papalii from Canberra for the 2014 season.
Papalii signed the contract before a Justice of the Peace, and the Eels were so comfortable with the arrangement they even put out an official press release on February 22, 2013 announcing the three-year deal.
To this very day, the Eels press release can be found on the internet with a simple Google search, complete with glowing quotes from Papalii and Stuart on their imminent union at Parramatta.
“The time I have spent with the Canberra Raiders have been the best of my life. I will always be grateful,” Papalii said in the Eels press release.
“Heading to Parramatta next season is a new and exciting challenge, they are a club on the rise and I am looking forward to being a part of what Ricky Stuart and the team up there are doing.”
Stuart added: “Josh is an outstanding young footballer and will bring with him all the attributes we are looking for in a player at the Parramatta Eels.
“We are a club building for the future and signing a young man of Josh’s ability represents that.”
But within four months, the deal inexplicably collapsed. Under NRL rules, the Raiders had the ability to retain Papalii with a counter offer before June 30.
Canberra legend Mal Meninga, then the Queensland coach, was summoned by the Raiders to help convince Papalii stay at the Green Machine.
The Meninga influence was pivotal, with Papalii backflipping on the Eels and inking a new deal with the Raiders, leaving Stuart a shattered man.
But the saga had one final dramatic twist, with Stuart unexpectedly severing ties with the Eels in September – just three months after Papalii agreed to stay in the nation’s capital.
Suddenly, the pair would join forces after all, not at Parramatta, but in Canberra for the 2014 season.
With Papalii understandably nervous about the prospect of bad blood, one of his must trusted allies was summoned to smooth the waters with Stuart.
Brian Edwards, the Brisbane-based scout who first spotted Papalii at Logan Brothers and signed him to a Raiders scholarship as a 13-year-old, revealed the meeting was a seminal moment in their player-coach relationship.
“Josh was struggling a bit at Canberra and he called me and asked to spend some time at my place over the summer,” Edwards recalled.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of it (Papalii reneging on the Eels deal), but he just felt he had rushed into a decision.
“When he stayed with me, he never spoke ill of Ricky Stuart, but when he was up here (in Brisbane), Ricky had made contact with him.
“There was the Parramatta business hanging over them and Ricky was coming to the Raiders.
“We agreed to meet up, just the three of us together.
“We went to a restaurant in Brisbane. Ricky flew up to get to know Josh a bit better. He spoke from the heart and set things straight with Josh.
“I was there as the third party. I didn’t say much. Ricky and Josh did all the talking. They really bonded that day and they are now reaping the benefits of that meeting.
“Josh was pretty upset at the time about the reporting of why he didn’t go through with the Parramatta deal, but Ricky spoke about his plans for Josh, they hit it off and away they went.”
Edwards recalls the moment he signed Papalii. It was the type of match-turning play that the Raiders hulk could produce tonight in his maiden NRL grand final against the Roosters.
“Josh was playing for Logan Brothers against Wests in an under-14s game at Rocklea,” he said.
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“I was sitting there and this day the coach played Josh at left centre. I thought what did you do that for?
“Anyway, it was a real arm wrestle. Wests had a few Broncos-contracted kids. It was 8-all and the ball went to Josh 60 metres out.
“He fended his centre opposite, who went flying, then fended off another two blokes. It was like, ‘Boom, boom, boom’ ... and off he raced to score the winning try.
“You could hear the Wests kids arguing with each other saying, ‘You were told to watch him (Papalii)’.
“He broke their hearts that day. That’s when I thought Josh Papalii is special ... I have to go all the way with this kid.”
Originally published as How Josh Papalii and Ricky Stuart mended their alliance after Eels deal fell through