Parramatta coach Brad Arthur could barely hide his joy after securing the services of “the best front-row pairing in the NRL” until at least the end of 2025 after Junior Paulo committed to a new mega deal.
Fellow prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard and skipper Clint Gutherson had already extended their contracts until the end of 2025 when Paulo on Thursday followed suit by inking his own deal until the end of 2026.
Paulo admitted he was flattered to have Wayne Bennett personally sell him the Redcliffe dream, but said the chance to chase an overdue title with his “Parramatta family” - and allow his parents to see their three grandchildren without the fear of the Queensland border being closed - made it a straightforward decision to stay in the western suburbs.
Aside from maybe the Sydney Roosters, with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Lindsay Collins, few would argue with Arthur about Paulo and Campbell-Gillard’s combination.
“I’m very grateful as a coach to have what I feel is the best front-row pairing in the comp,” Arthur told the Herald on Thursday.
“They complement each other. Junior does the shit work you need him to do, he’ll take the tough carries, promote an offload, he can play footy up the other end of the field at the tryline, and I can put him in the back row if I need him to get at someone.
“Then you have Reg who is a play-one specialist who is happy to do the nitty-gritty work, which allows Junior to do his role. They’re very good together.”
Paulo is 28 and will be 33 by the time his contract expires. He and Campbell-Gillard have regularly been spotted completing extras at 5am, and the pair have convinced Bryce Cartwright to do likewise.
“They have a ton of drive in them, they know what they need to do to prolong their careers and get the best out of themselves - they certainly won’t do it by taking shortcuts, I’ll guarantee you that,” Arthur said.
Paulo stripped plenty of weight last off-season as he prepared for a boxing bout. He is keen to get back in the ring next year, but wanted to put his immediate energy into sorting out his Parramatta future.
The Eels lost Marata Niukore (New Zealand Warriors), Isaiah Papali’i (Wests Tigers) and then Reed Mahoney (Canterbury), but have slowly landed a few of their own blows by retaining their key trio.
Paulo was on the radar at Redcliffe - while two other clubs were also genuinely interested - but the Samoan wrecking ball said there were too many reasons to stay put.
“I had a conversation with Wayne, he’s a respected figure in the game, probably the most respected figure in the game,” Paulo said.
“To know he had his eye on me for a while, that’s something hard to ignore. But he also understood my circumstances and my situation.
“The biggest thing was our kids and not wanting to disrupt them again, especially with school. I talk to my parents every day, and [a move] would have meant them not seeing their grandkids. The border situation remains unpredictable and makes things hard.
“My teammates are my extended family. Reg was the one annoying me the most. And I couldn’t let my old mate down.
“We want to win a comp, and we want to create our own history at this club. The fans have been waiting. Why can’t we deliver one next year?”
The Eels also signed Canberra pair Bailey Simonsson, who has linked with the club for next season, while Josh Hodgson, Paulo’s “old English mate”, will be in the blue and gold for 2023 and 2024.
Replies
The coach and the man himself have given us all he reasons and understanding that we need to be very confident going forward.
I like that Junior and RCG are good mates and seem to push each other to be better. Great to see them getting Cartwright involved in extras training. Also encouraging to hear him say he want's to put the boxing aside for a while to focus on next season.
Yep, Love that Reg was the one in his ear the loudest. Those bonds drive results.
If he can see all that, why couldn't Reed?
Gould sold him on the hype train that the bulldogs are building.
To be fair, they have made some excellent signings. But now pressure will be on them to deliver.
They need to make the finals in 2022 or Barrett is gone.
After they make the finals will come the pressure to win the comp.
I think we'll have to wait till 2023 to get at least part of the truth from Reed
I think Reed was always going to highest bidder.
From what I know of Reed he has developed a high opinion of himself
Ah, the typical sledge of a player leaving the club.
It's amazing how when a player signs a contract for another tean the fans suddenly say every bad word in the book about them, but when they are staying, oh praise be, what a fantastic and humble player they are now! They signed for us!
Like how no one called Papalii a one year wonder before he signed for the Tigers. Now they do.
People waxed lyrical about Niukore. No more.
Reed was the next Queensland 9. Until he signed for the doggies.
Ray Stone is the new Trevor Gillmeister! Oh wait, he signed for the Dolphins, I guess we must have been mistaken!
Money. That and Junior left the club once and his career went downhill. Regardless of how good a coach Bennett is, joining a brand new team is a significant risk for a player Paulo's age. He could very well retire at the end of this contract, and he probably sees it as his best chance to win a comp.
Reed's in a different position regarding that. He's younger, has more time.
True, Reed will be about 28 when his deal expires, so he could sign with another club to chase a title, or even come back to Parra if circumstances haven't moved on.
-
1
-
2
-
3
-
4
-
5
of 5 Next