‘I was about to cry': Emotional scenes before, during and after Joash Papalii's first game in the NRL
Joash Papalii may have had his eyes closed when he scored a try on debut on Friday night, but they were wide open as he embraced family and took photos with everyone in the CommBank Stadium sheds as they celebrated a moment that he'd been dreaming about since he was a young kid supporting the blue and golds.
There were emotional scenes after the game as friends and family held up posters as Papalii posed with anyone and everyone in the home dressing room, with pride replacing the sheer hysteria they showed when he ran out for the first time two hours earlier.
His dad was hugging senior players in the sheds while everyone soaked up the atmosphere, before the 20-year-old was whisked away from the deafening celebrations to a quiet place where he smiled for eight minutes straight in his first proper interview.
It was a much more relaxed feeling compared to Monday when he was ushered into Jason Ryles' office after training with no idea what was about to unfold.
'I was walking in the physio room and he goes 'Joash' loud as. 'Come here, I need to talk to you in my office', so I ran there straight away,' the youngster explained.
'Nathan Brown then asked me if I was in trouble and I was nervous. He told me to sit down and I was shaking my legs.
'He asked me how it was going with my performance. He said I was killing it and then told me straight that I would be debuting this week.
'When he told me, in my mind I was saying 'are you joking?'
'I was about to cry but I held my tears. I didn't expect it this week, but I had to be ready for anything.'
Papalii spent a couple of years in the Canterbury system but made the move to Parramatta this season where he's starred in reserve grade.
But after being so close a number of times as 18th man, Papalii finally earned his shot after being picked on the bench for the showdown with the Sea Eagles.
The message from Ryles was simple, with the rookie told to be ready for anything.
So when Will Penisini came off inside the opening two minutes following a head knock, the lifelong Eels fan hopped off the bench and was straight into the action without any time to worry about what might happen.
He was strong from the outset, with Papalii living out a childhood dream in the 24th minute when he finished off a big break up the middle to score in the right corner.
It's a moment he'll never forget, but it's one he'll have to watch again and again given his eyes were closed as he grounded the ball for what should be the first of many NRL tries.
Joash Papalii on DEBUT! 🤩ðŸ'� #NRLEelsManly Telstra Moment of the Match. pic.twitter.com/43tBRaRjpH
— NRL (@NRL) May 23, 2025
'I did not expect it,' he said.
'I just told myself, just keep moving, just push and then when I saw Dylan Walker break the line, I was like, 'he's breaking'. I had to get on my bike.
'And then when I saw Dean Hawkins, he got tackled, and then he looked at me and he just chucked it (the ball).
'I was like oh, I've got to grab it. And I was about to go in the corner, and then I was like, I've got to come back in, and then I threw the dummy, and I was like, am I actually over the line?
'And when I opened my eyes I was like, wow, I actually got it. And I did not expect it.
'I was so happy. And when I heard the crowd it was so loud. I've always dreamed about this – watching it as the 18th man, experiencing the boys playing, it's all I ever wanted to do.'
Papalii isn't sure if there were 150, 250 or 300 people who were there to support him on Friday, with friends and family travelling from as far as Melbourne to cheer him on.
He was a ball of energy on and off the field, with the nephew of Raiders legend Josh Papalii cracking jokes and exuding pure joy from the moment he ran on until the recorders were switched off at the end of the interview, with the rookie just glad his parents were there after supporting him throughout his journey.
'All I ever wanted to do was to give back to them for all the sacrifices they've given me throughout my life,' he said.
'I just wanted to make them proud.'
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