NRL

When he signed from the Bulldogs in 2025 Joash Papalii was touted as a backline star of the very near future.

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Yet after deputising for the injured Isaiah longi at fullback for much of the NRL season, and then playing three matches at five-eighth, the 22-year-old has fallen so badly out of favour with head coach Jason Ryles he continues to be stuck in NSW Cup purgatory.

Meanwhile with longi injured once again and ruled out for the season, Apa Twidle has been surprisingly chosen to hold down the No.1 spot despite having played just one NRL match this season and being off to the Perth Bears in 2027.

The obvious question is, what’s happened?

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The club has been largely silent on the situation, leaving fans to speculate.

Some are suggesting it’s just a case of Ryles showing some tough love to his young fullback, but for others it feels there’s more to it and judging by social medium forums plenty of the Eels faithful are frustrated.

Prior to the latest Iongi injury there was a theory it was simply the result of a positional logjam in the Eels backline, however the unexpected promotion of Twidle for Round 24 indicates that is not the case.

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Remarkably it was only in May that Papalii’s form was deemed so promising that the former NSW U19 star was invited to train with Laurie Daley’s Blues squad as a development player ahead of State of Origin Game I. Now he can’t get a game.

A cryptic post from Papalii on social media this week didn’t provide specifics on why he’s tumbled so spectacularly down the Eels pecking order in the second half of 2026, but it certainly adds further doubt over his future at the club. 

“I trust your new plan God… Godsplan always,” he posted.

What that ‘new plan’ is remains to be seen, but there are even a few murmurs that Papalii may have already played his last NRL game for the Eels despite being contracted until the end of 2027.

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