Junior Paulo says he has his 18 months as a Raider to thank for the way his career has taken off at Parramatta.
Current Canberra coach Ricky Stuart handed Paulo his NRL debut at the Eels back in 2013 and then lured him to Canberra midway through 2016.
A lucrative deal brought Paulo back to Parramatta, where he has been selected for State of Origin honours nine times and assumed the Eels’ co-captaincy.
Paulo is now a Parramatta fan favourite but as he prepares to meet the Raiders in a final for the first time, the prop forward says he will always be grateful for his time in the nation’s capital.
“That road trip down the highway to Canberra was all part of helping myself grow up,” he told reporters.
“It certainly put me in the position that I’m pretty fortunate to be in now.
“And if I didn’t make that move, I’m probably not here.”
Paulo and his partner-in-crime Reagan Campbell-Gillard are relishing the chance to come up against another of the NRL’s form front-row pairings – Joe Tapine and Josh Papalii.
The Eels will need to do their homework on the pair, but Paulo brings plenty of knowledge to the table, spanning their offloading habits to their fast-food orders.
“I used to actually room with Junior,” Tapine said.
“We used to have a lot of late-night room services, all the burgers and that. He’s a legend of a bloke, and the friendships you make during footy mean a lot.”
In a career-best season, Tapine won the 2022 Meninga Medal earlier this week as the Raiders best player this season. He is leading his teammates for metres gained and offloads and appears in contention for the Dally M Team Of The Year.
But Paulo said it was no surprise to see his former roommate reaching the heights he has.
“He’s certainly been outstanding,” he said.
“He’s been a real leader and you could see that when I was down there, with the traits he’s got away from the footy field.
“We always knew how good of a player he was. He’s really found that consistency.”
Come Friday, the Eels will be vying to snap an unwanted streak – Parramatta have bowed out in the second week of the finals for the last three years.
But for Paulo, there’s even more at stake.
“When you play against a former club, you don’t like to lose those ones,” he said.
“It’s going to be a tough battle and the situation we’re in, it’s do or die. You can’t afford to have any regrets.”
