Junior Paulo Extends till 2026
The Parramatta Eels are happy to announce that we have re-signed front-row forward Junior Paulo on a four-year contract extension until the end of the 2026 season.
Making his NSW Origin debut in 2020, Junior has made his mark as one of the NRL’s best front rowers.
Mark O’Neill, Parramatta Eels Club General Manager of Football said, “Junior is not just a skilful front rower, he is an asset to the Club both on and off the field. His selection into the NSW Origin team is a testament to his ability and the hard work he puts into his game.”
As a Parramatta Eels junior, he made his NRL debut for the Parramatta Eels in 2013 and is now approaching 200 NRL games.
A popular player amongst teammates, staff and fans, Junior also dedicates his time helping to inspire the next generation through his role as the Club’s ambassador for PCYC.
The Club is delighted that Junior, Mele and their children will continue to be part of our Blue and Gold family.
This is the one that the Parramatta Eels had to have. Free agency has strenuously tested the resolve of the club over the course of this offseason. The departure of Marata Niukore was expected while Ray Stone becoming the second ever Dolphin was honestly a cool moment to celebrate as a fan of the game. However, the defection of Isaiah Papali’i was a gut punch and the loss of Reed Mahoney a hammer blow to succession planning and the long-term competitive viability of the team.
The Eels quickly secured a contingency plan at dummy-half in Josh Hodgson but it genuinely felt that even then the club was standing on the precipice, balanced on a critical tipping point for their future with talismanic prop forward Junior Paulo still not re-signed. Had Paulo landed elsewhere it might very well have set the club back five years and officially designated season 2022 as all or nothing.
Thankfully, those concerns have been laid to rest with extreme prejudice. Today the Parramatta Eels announced that Junior Paulo will be an Eel until the the end of 2026. The two parties have agreed on a four year extension that completely solidifies arguably the best prop pairing in the NRL alongside Junior’s running mate Reagan Campbell-Gillard.
Junior is a unicorn among rugby league props. A walking paradox. No man that big should be so light on his feet and deft with his hands. Even if he possessed those attributes there is no way he should be able to play sixty or more minutes. Yet Junior can. His combination of footwork, ball-skills and engine are as close to a rugby league cheat code as you can get in a prop.
And that cheat code belongs to the Eels for the next five years.
This is the one that the Parramatta Eels had to have and when it counted they got it done. Mark O’Neill, Brad Arthur and the recruitment and retention committee have pulled the Eels back from that tipping point and secured a piece that they can build a dominant forward pack around for the years to come.
This was the most important one of all to keep. Others more easily replaced. Junior not so. He is a unique front rower. Really worth celebrating.
Good times!
Sixties I think that you knew more than you let on.
You handled it well and congratulations to the club.
Can Hooper, Crawley and the rest of them just go away and and try to find someone else to bully.
I am very happy, looking forward to 2022 and 2023
Well said John, Crawley is a sham of a reporter.
I think he lives on the Central Coast
I’ll second that
😁 😁 😁
YESSSS!!! Get stuffed naysayers!
Spot on
All very well but what will happen to the Club in 2027? I’m going to worry about that for the next four years!!!!!
🤣 🤣 🤣
All I can say is Thank God.
This was the most important signing and I’m glad they got it done!!
It was Maverick. Keep the faith
Well Mr Sixties we have our bookends signed, sealed delivered. Does that remind you a little bit of 1986 when we had two great bookends.
I have held back from commenting over those ones we lost but, I have to say I am really surprised at the negative media reporting over Parra’s retention of certain players.
When we examine Penrith retention they were practically free of criticism and yet lost some valuable and crucial players. Why was the media so soft with their losses?
I do regret the losses of those other players but, the simple answer is we can’t sign them all.
That Junior has resigned will really lift not only the team but the long suffering supporters. Emotional comments are part and parcel when people give so much support to a team particularly, the really loyal ones that stood by when big losses were the norm.
Brad Arthur will be chuffed and the thing for Arthur, he now has quite a skilled support staff to help hopefully through the games.
I think at times Arthur has become so involved in the game he is watching he neglects the little things – like bench rotation and other matters.
Parra has a great team going into 2022 and although some good players are leaving the fact is no one plays for nothing. Will they give their best – absolutely!! What footballer doesn’t want to win a premiership? Those four will be trying there heart out which gives us long suffering supporters reason to believe 2022 is the year they break that drought.
Mr Sixties – things are looking up.
The simple explanation for lack of media coverage on teams like Penrith, Storm etc is that in reality they don’t move the needle as far as clicks and interest goes. Manly get some coverage as most of the journos live on the Northern Beaches, if they didn’t you wouldn’t hear a peep about them.
As a so called journo expressed to me one day, only two teams in Sydney get reaction, Rabbits and Eels, the others tend to be an afterthought.
And haven’t we been moving that needle lately!
Zero, I always said that we should judge recruitment and retention when rosters were complete. No doubt Junior was critical.
So now we go into 2022 with maybe a spot or two left to be filled, and with 2023 over a year away. We will be very strong next year with fine tuning for 2023.
This is the best news for the whole of the Eels members, supporters and most of all the players who will be with Jnr on and off the field.
We can only ask that the players, coach and staff are also in a celebratory mood. He is more than just an a player, but someone that has the club at heart, along with having the new players, also the younger players who look up to him, its a real recipe for the future.
I believe the next signing is from within and that is with Oregon, he has muscled up, and aside from his hands at times, he can make a big dent in the opposition and for me a top cover for Jnr & RCG for prop positions.
Parra is home for Junior Colin. He belongs in the Blue and Gold
cannot disagree one bit mate, I believe he would be an asset even post his playing days with the young islanders that are in the district. He would be the perfect leader/mentor for them, and for the club as well.
Very good news!
Happy days
Great news but not so sure of the value of Paulo playing long minutes. Hopefully the bench props are good enough that Junior can play less minutes. Quality over quantity. Even though he can play long minutes much of that is well under 100%. Also do not think long minutes helps his movement in defense.
If Jnr can provide say 40 minutes of top line work, that being 20 minutes each half, with RCG as his co- worker, we then have the likes of Oregon, (still to be extended) Greig, Rodwell, Hollis,Nathan Brown , Makatoa, Ogden, Lane, Cartwright, Matto, , each of them have enough quality in their games to be more than adequate replacements, and who knows how others will shape up.
I agree. I get that the more time from better players concept but it decreases how good junior is especially as the season wears on.
The minutes played are an individual game determination. His capacity for longer minutes provides an option.
Love your loyalty Junior, unlike others this is so important as our front row stays in tact. Not only our team in 22 looks stronger but 23 looks great money to spend , promising backrowers coming through, hence why we read all of sixties reports to know all this info , thank u 60s.
Keen on french 2023 , hes not the players left us 18/19 but more importantly were not that club anymore let alone the team .
Do we need French? we have young guys on the up…..
Milo, I considered French, purely on the basis that he was having home problems, mainly to do with his sick mother, and the reason he came left SL and came back to Oz. I was not in the arena of saying we had/needed him or the like, it was more on the point of showing some compasion towards him and the family.
I believe according some reports I read, that he would be heading back to SL once the aspects of his mother were settled. I was not saying that we should sign him, but maybe he could be a benefit in the lower grade, and reach out to an ex eels player who was having some issues with his ill mother.
Totally understand Col, and i respect that. I am just v unsure of him tbh and think we have moved on and have some talented kids on the way. Simonssen for one.
Price and role will be the determining factor. At his best he wins matches.
Covers entire backline at right price !!
It will be interesting to monitor what unfolds there
Cheers Ray. As I said before and in a reply above, we should judge recruitment and retention when the roster is finished – and of course with how the team performs.
Great result, and lets not forget the big man is so versatile i would like to see him play half in the Red zone at times…! Great work, and the Christmas pork will be even crispier this year and the trifle just that bit sweeter.
First Christmas wish granted!
Glad to see this news, I’m a bit perplexed as to why people thought he was the most critical signing … that is/was Gutho and Moses (acknowledging Moses didn’t need to be re-signed, but we still need to keep him happy and not looking elsewhere). But maybe I’m being a bit too literal in reading the article and some of the comments and should just let everyone celebrate the good news.
To me the biggest pluses are (a) he’s a good compliment to RCG (who in my view had a better 2021 than Junior), and (b) has good versatility in his playing style and ability to play big minutes when demanded. Having two top-end front rowers leading the pack is only going to help the rest of the squad develop …. its hard to win games without a solid platform to win them off.
Thanks for the write-up 40/20, and impressively quick off the mark to get this out.
Mick, I think that sentiment refers to the most critical of the forwards. When you reflect on it, Moses extended without much media scrutiny
Good news! I’m waiting to see how Papali’is strength and work rate, and Marata’s energy and aggression will be replaced in 2023. Great that I don’t have to add Junior’s power and creativity to the list.
Wow!! I remember during our shit 2016 year, letting Peats & Junz go so we could get under the cap. I always knew in my heart, he’s an Eel!! So rapt, our team & club are in a magical phase I reckon.
The goal is to be consistently in or around the Top 4. The roster looks like it’s shaping to stay that way.
Our starting front row will be quite experienced come 2023. Junior will hopefully have close to 200 games, RCG 170 odd, and Hodgson 300 first grade games across the NRL and SL. Given we have: Kaufusi, Greig, Rodwell, Hollis and further down Tohi, Taateo, and Betham-Misa it’s great that we have these experienced players to make their transition to full-time first grader much easier
I’m unsure how Jnr will be in 5yrs time. Great he is staying but I think its a year or two to long personaly. Players do have better diets and training methods these days thou so hopemI am wrong.
I don’t know whether this is the case, but if the extra year got it done, would that still be a disappointing result
I think the extra year was important from another perspective, RCG is 2025 and you do not want both props coming due in the same year.
Shane Webcke retired at 32, Petero Civoniceva retired at 36. Tolman and Tamou are currently 33, JWH is currently 32. We really don’t know what any player will be like in 5 year’s time, but as Sixties said that extra year might have got it over the line. I’d rather have Junior in 2023 and 2026 than not have Junior in 2023.
100% Ham. Having the experience and leadership in the forwards is critical, and there’ll be no shortage going into the future
and with Hodgson signed I can only see this as beneficial, with two younger hookers too coming up.
One of points of interest to me was that we signed Junior for 4 years.
I would like to see a little bit more of these longer contracts. Starting with MM.
P.S. Junior was an Eels junior who left the club for greener pastures. However he returned to play a major part in the Eels revival.
Another Eel who followed a similar storyline was Bob O’Reily. Hope Junior gets the same ending as the Bear.
I like your line of thinking John
John, lets not forget part of the reason for his leaving was to do with a meeting at Star Casino with former eels players and a very unsavory mob that he was mixing with at the time. He had a couple of other areas of concern as well but in moving away gave him a new life and its still a new life today.
Colin I am not condemning Jr for leaving. There were a lot of circumstances at play at the time of him leaving. Not the least which were the issues you have raised.
What is important here is that he is back where he belongs and his game is on the up.
Merry Christmas to you and your family Colin
John, we wear the same hat, & no one should condemning Jnr, and certainly I was not nor you. There are more than a few on the other site however that have knocked Jnr and accuse him of taking the cash and heading south, most have no idea, or want to anyway as to the circumstances at the time.
For me he has always been an eels player and always will be, as I have said my belief is for him when he retires is to take on a role with the eels and be there as a mentor/trainer for the numbers of young Islanders in the western suburbs.
A Merry Christmas to you and family too John, trust it will be a great time for you and family to get together.
I think I may have read somewhere that Junior is the king at trivia among the players. I think I read it someplace.
He’s a smart cookie.
Can still recall that image of the Bear and the champagne bottle John, one of those large bottles from 81
And how about “who is the greatest prop in the world and why am I “.
I think this was said about the same time as consuming the champagne.
I have questioned some decisions lately but I must say congratulations to all involved. I would not really know but I believe from what we see that Junior is as important to us off the field as he is on it. I think many of our young squad members and talented juniors can relate to him, his younger years and his experiences. It is good to know that such a talented and passionate Parra man is staying around.
This is great news all round.
I agree Shelley. And this is home for Junior.
This is such awesome news. For so many reasons Junior was a must re-sign in my opinion. Great write up, Sixties. Stoked.
Cheers Nightmare but I can’t take the credit for Forty’s work in this one.
Oops. Sorry. Great write up, Forty’s.
Great signing. Credit to the coach and recruitment team to make it happen. Like an early Xmas present for Eels fans!!!
To the TCT team, have a great Xmas, enjoy your break and I am sure everyone is looking forward to seeing more quality work in 2022!!
Cheers Greg. Merry Christmas to you and your family and the Starr Partners team. Appreciate your support mate.
This truly is exciting news. I wonder what else the retention & recruitment team have for me for Christmas.
Could be a surprise still to come?
I believe the person whom got this over the line was Mele. Thank you.
I think they both regard Parra as home.
Sixties, any chance of a run down on Luca Morretti.
If he is training with the first squad.
Rocket, I’ve given him a few mentions in the training reports
I liked the article in The Brisbane Times by Christian Nicolussi highlighted by “Eels in the news’.
It shows the personality of both BA and Junior. This is about the Eels and the players and coaches. This is what is making us a great club.
John, appears to be the same article as in the SMH.
I missed that one. Great read and seems to be a good spirit at the club.
Well done to O’Neill and the retention team for resigning Junior. An important signing; his pairing with Reg puts the Eels in the mix to compete for the premiership in future years.
There’s more loyalty from Parra juniors who have largely resigned; Junior, Haze, Gutho (sort of debuted at the Eels) vs imports like Ice, Marata & Reed. Reinforces the benefit of managing your cap to retain talented rookies.
And Merry Christmas & a big thank you to the TCT team for delivering a fabulous website and for all your hard work this year.
Merry Christmas to you also DDay. Appreciate your support