Milestone Papalii double lifts Raiders over Souths

Josh Papalii scored a fairytale double as he became the most-capped player in Canberra history and lifted the Raiders to a gritty come-from-behind win over South Sydney.
Chants of "Papa" rang through GIO Stadium after the Raiders legend's two late tries, before Papalii converted his second himself to put the icing on a 36-12 victory and send the Raiders to the top of the NRL ladder on Sunday.
Despite the veteran's late show, it was young five-eighth Ethan Strange who was responsible for turning the day around for the home side, after two early Rabbitohs tries for Keaon Koloamatangi and Alex Johnston threatened to rain on Big Papa's parade.
Strange was unstoppable in wet and near-freezing conditions that made handling a tricky task.
Just before halftime, the 20-year-old showed why he is one of the best running halves in the league by pushing past four Souths defenders to muscle his way to the tryline and lift the Raiders back into the game.
THE MILESTONE MAN! 👏#NRLRaidersSouths pic.twitter.com/hE9FASq0QU— NRL (@NRL) June 8, 2025
Until then, Canberra had looked bereft of ideas in attack, but momentum suddenly swung their way.
Strange replicated his effort after the break, jinking past more flat-footed defenders to put the Raiders back level.
Soon after, Johnston failed to defuse a Jamal Fogarty bomb and back-rower Zac Hosking cleaned up the scraps to send Canberra ahead.
The Raiders grew in confidence and doubled their lead through Simi Sasagi before Papalii, who was given a rare start by coach Ricky Stuart in his 319th game, came on for his second stint.
In the 70th minute, the strong crowd of 19,438 that braved the miserable conditions were sent into raptures when hooker Owen Pattie sent Papalii over with a short range pass.
Three minutes later the veteran went over after another Pattie pass and stepped up to land the conversion.
The Raiders went top with the result, though Canterbury could usurp them when they face Parramatta on Monday.
Other than a brief moment in round 2 of 2024, it's the first time Canberra have topped the ladder since round 6 in 2005.

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Reece Walsh says ‘I'm ready' to make State of Origin return

News.com.au

30 minutes ago

News.com.au

Reece Walsh says ‘I'm ready' to make State of Origin return

Reece Walsh returned in style for the Brisbane Broncos and now the star fullback is putting his hand up for the Maroons. Walsh was sidelined for six weeks with a PCL injury, but showed flashes of brilliance against the Gold Coast Titans as the Broncos secured the 44-14 victory. The 22-year-old was so keen to get back on the park he reportedly told Broncos coaches to shut up and let him play, according to CODE Sports. 'I was trying to get back last week and I kept telling the coaches to shut up and let me get in there,'' Walsh said. 'It is good to be back. It feels good. I had time off where I could get away from footy and rejuvenate myself.'' After losing the Origin opener, several question marks hang over the Maroons squad with Walsh giving selectors something to think about at fullback. 'If Billy needs me in the squad for anything, I'll be there and ready to go,' Walsh said. Slater was quizzed on a potential Walsh recall, but the Maroons coach kept his cards close to his chest but did concede he would be in the discussion. 'I have actually had this injury (a PCL). I know exactly what Reece was going through when he went down towards the back end of the game. 'Posterior cruciate ligaments can be quite painful and, to be honest, Reece is going to have to play with that for the rest of the season. It is something he will have to manage for the rest of the year. 'The other thing you have to think about is when you throw names up you have to take someone out. So it's a balance.'' Warriors star earns Maroons recall New Zealand Warriors stalwart Kurt Capewell is reportedly set to be named in the Queensland side after remaining in Australia as his teammates returned home. The 31-year-old played in Game 2 and 3 of the 2024 series, but was ultimately dropped for the 2025 series opener and was omitted from the 20-man squad. According to AAP, Capewell is set to be rewarded for his strong club form, having spent time in the back row and centres this season under Andrew Webster. The veteran back rower has already played 11 games for his state, having featured in all three fixtures in 2020, 2021 and 2022. However, he didn't feature in 2023 before he was recalled on the bench in Game 2 last season and then in the back row in the decider. DCE's Origin career all but over Queensland captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans is reportedly set to be dropped by the Maroons for State of Origin Game 2. In what looms as the biggest selection call of Billy Slater's tenure so far, the Queensland coach is weighing up his halves combination for Game 2 after his side was thoroughly outplayed in the series opener. According to Code Sports, Slater is currently leaning towards axing Cherry-Evans in a bombshell selection move, with the veteran's Origin career 'all but over'. If Cherry-Evans is dropped, Cowboys playmaker Tom Dearden would be named at halfback to partner five-eighth Cameron Munster after impressing off the bench in several Origin games.