Legends explain why Hammer is the LOGICAL choice: QLDER
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7NEWS
8 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Fresh details emerge in Josh Papalii's stunning State of Origin return
Billy Slater's State of Origin stunner Josh Papalii has revealed fresh details about his shock selection to the Queensland squad. Speaking exclusively to 7NEWS, Papalii admitted that — after three years out of the Queensland set-up — he never imagined he would come out of Origin retirement. 'Feels good (to be back in the SOO team),' Papalii, 33, told Seven. Asked directly if he thought he would ever 'come out of retirement', Papalii said 'no'. 'It's all pretty surreal for me right now,' he said. 'Yeah, just can't wait to go into camp and see the lads, and see Slatts and all the boys. '(Looking forward to seeing) everyone ... I obviously watched the first two games and just, yeah, (enjoyed) watching how exciting they are and I just want to be a part of it.' Overcoming flight delays down south to make it to the Maroons Twin Waters base just in time for their first major field session on Wednesday, the man — affectionately known as Big Papa — entered camp early in the afternoon. But it was a bittersweet moment for Big Papa as he left his newborn child behind in Canberra. Papalii was also asked about his immediate thoughts when his phone rang and he realised Slater was on the line. 'I was still in hospital for my son and my wife, and I missed the first couple of calls and, yeah, after speaking to Bill there was no doubt I'd come out of retirement and hopefully do a job,' he said. Papalii spoke to Seven at the airport where a secret handwritten message (USO ASO UMA KEFSSS) was spotted on his suitcase. The message in Samoan translates to something similar to, 'Friends are for everyday, brothers are for the hard days' (or 'friends for every day, brothers for the bad days'). Papalii's presence made an immediate impact at training with his fellow forwards still not quite believing Slater convinced the 23-game Origin veteran to pull on the Maroon one last time. It's a sacrifice that will no doubt inspire his teammates who are still in shock. Lindsay Collins shared Queensland's front row with Papalii in his original retirement match, the 20-22 decider. 'I don't know how Billy done it, but he pulled it off,' Collins said. 'I think he just brings that calmness. '(But) he can flip a switch. You don't want to see him angry but he has a beautiful nature about him.' The Bodyguard: Papalii hailed as Maroons' new protector Recalled prop Josh Papalii will protect Queensland from harm and return fire to NSW like Kevin Costner did in the hit film The Bodyguard. That's the word from Maroons captain Cameron Munster who is a fan of the film and Costner's part as the bodyguard who protected Whitney Houston, playing the role of a famous actress and singer, from a deranged stalker. The Blues will be stalking Queensland in the State of Origin decider in Sydney and Canberra giant Papalii is the antidote in his first game for the Maroons since 2022. 'It's great to have him back. He brings a lot of that belief and steely eye when you have him beside you,' Munster said. 'It brings a bit of fear in people's faces. You don't want to be running around annoying Big Papa. 'He's a bit of a Kevin Costner. I don't know if you've seen that movie, Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard ... with Whitney Houston? 'He's probably our bodyguard and he's one of those enforcers. Taking him down to foreign territory, it's going to be good for us.' Former Maroons captain Trevor Gillmeister, known as 'The Axe' and a bodyguard of sorts in his own right as a player, said Papalii was in career-best form and would sort the Blues out. When asked what his advice would be for Papalii in his Maroons swansong, Gillmeister got a gleam in his eyes. 'Just blow your gasket in the first 20 or 30 minutes and go hard,' Gillmeister said. 'When the shit hits the fan he will be there in the middle of it. 'We have got Alpha males here in Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) and Lindsay (Collins) and other blokes as well but Papa is the older, settling influence. 'Nothing seems to rattle him and he plays like that. How good is he playing for the Raiders at the moment? Outstanding.' Maroons hooker Harry Grant, who played alongside Papalii when he made his Origin debut in 2020, said his arrival was much anticipated. 'Everyone is really looking forward to big Paps getting back in camp and the presence and aura that he brings to the team,' Grant said.'He's a scary man to play against and one of the hardest blokes I've had to tackle because he is so wide and has got so many options to his game.'He's a protector and warrior of the team and has been for so many years. You know how much Queensland means to him. Every series he has been messaging and saying 'good luck and go well' to the boys and now he is back. 'It's pretty cool that he never lost that attachment to the group and how much the Origin series means even though he wasn't in the team for a couple of years.' Maroons squad for Origin III 1. Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, 2. Xavier Coates, 3. Robert Toia. 4. Gehamat Shibasaki, 5. Valentine Holmes, 6. Cameron Munster, 7. Tom Dearden, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Harry Grant, 10. Tino Fa'asuamaleaui, 11. Reuben Cotter, 12. Kurt Capewell, 13. Trent Loiero, 14. Kurt Mann, 15. Lindsay Collins, 16. Jeremiah Nanai, 17. Pat Carrigan, 18. Reece Walsh, 19. J'maine Hopgood, 20. Josh Kerr.
The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- The Advertiser
The Bodyguard: Papalii hailed as Maroons' new protector
Recalled prop Josh Papalii will protect Queensland from harm and return fire to NSW like Kevin Costner did in the hit film The Bodyguard. That's the word from Maroons captain Cameron Munster who is a fan of the film and Costner's part as the bodyguard who protected Whitney Houston, playing the role of a famous actress and singer, from a deranged stalker. The Blues will be stalking Queensland in the State of Origin decider in Sydney and Canberra giant Papalii is the antidote in his first game for the Maroons since 2022. "It's great to have him back. He brings a lot of that belief and steely eye when you have him beside you," Munster said. "It brings a bit of fear in people's faces. You don't want to be running around annoying Big Papa. "He's a bit of a Kevin Costner. I don't know if you've seen that movie, Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard ... with Whitney Houston? "He's probably our bodyguard and he's one of those enforcers. Taking him down to foreign territory, it's going to be good for us." Former Maroons captain Trevor Gillmeister, known as 'The Axe' and a bodyguard of sorts in his own right as a player, said Papalii was in career-best form and would sort the Blues out. When asked what his advice would be for Papalii in his Maroons swansong, Gillmeister got a gleam in his eyes. "Just blow your gasket in the first 20 or 30 minutes and go hard," Gillmeister said. "When the shit hits the fan he will be there in the middle of it. "We have got Alpha males here in Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) and Lindsay (Collins) and other blokes as well but Papa is the older, settling influence. "Nothing seems to rattle him and he plays like that. How good is he playing for the Raiders at the moment? Outstanding." Papalii was set to arrive in camp on Wednesday after he and his partner Mesepa had a baby boy last week. Maroons hooker Harry Grant, who played alongside Papalii when he made his Origin debut in 2020, said his arrival was much anticipated. "Everyone is really looking forward to big Paps getting back in camp and the presence and aura that he brings to the team," Grant said."He's a scary man to play against and one of the hardest blokes I've had to tackle because he is so wide and has got so many options to his game."He's a protector and warrior of the team and has been for so many years. You know how much Queensland means to him. Every series he has been messaging and saying 'good luck and go well' to the boys and now he is back. "It's pretty cool that he never lost that attachment to the group and how much the Origin series means even though he wasn't in the team for a couple of years." Recalled prop Josh Papalii will protect Queensland from harm and return fire to NSW like Kevin Costner did in the hit film The Bodyguard. That's the word from Maroons captain Cameron Munster who is a fan of the film and Costner's part as the bodyguard who protected Whitney Houston, playing the role of a famous actress and singer, from a deranged stalker. The Blues will be stalking Queensland in the State of Origin decider in Sydney and Canberra giant Papalii is the antidote in his first game for the Maroons since 2022. "It's great to have him back. He brings a lot of that belief and steely eye when you have him beside you," Munster said. "It brings a bit of fear in people's faces. You don't want to be running around annoying Big Papa. "He's a bit of a Kevin Costner. I don't know if you've seen that movie, Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard ... with Whitney Houston? "He's probably our bodyguard and he's one of those enforcers. Taking him down to foreign territory, it's going to be good for us." Former Maroons captain Trevor Gillmeister, known as 'The Axe' and a bodyguard of sorts in his own right as a player, said Papalii was in career-best form and would sort the Blues out. When asked what his advice would be for Papalii in his Maroons swansong, Gillmeister got a gleam in his eyes. "Just blow your gasket in the first 20 or 30 minutes and go hard," Gillmeister said. "When the shit hits the fan he will be there in the middle of it. "We have got Alpha males here in Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) and Lindsay (Collins) and other blokes as well but Papa is the older, settling influence. "Nothing seems to rattle him and he plays like that. How good is he playing for the Raiders at the moment? Outstanding." Papalii was set to arrive in camp on Wednesday after he and his partner Mesepa had a baby boy last week. Maroons hooker Harry Grant, who played alongside Papalii when he made his Origin debut in 2020, said his arrival was much anticipated. "Everyone is really looking forward to big Paps getting back in camp and the presence and aura that he brings to the team," Grant said."He's a scary man to play against and one of the hardest blokes I've had to tackle because he is so wide and has got so many options to his game."He's a protector and warrior of the team and has been for so many years. You know how much Queensland means to him. Every series he has been messaging and saying 'good luck and go well' to the boys and now he is back. "It's pretty cool that he never lost that attachment to the group and how much the Origin series means even though he wasn't in the team for a couple of years." Recalled prop Josh Papalii will protect Queensland from harm and return fire to NSW like Kevin Costner did in the hit film The Bodyguard. That's the word from Maroons captain Cameron Munster who is a fan of the film and Costner's part as the bodyguard who protected Whitney Houston, playing the role of a famous actress and singer, from a deranged stalker. The Blues will be stalking Queensland in the State of Origin decider in Sydney and Canberra giant Papalii is the antidote in his first game for the Maroons since 2022. "It's great to have him back. He brings a lot of that belief and steely eye when you have him beside you," Munster said. "It brings a bit of fear in people's faces. You don't want to be running around annoying Big Papa. "He's a bit of a Kevin Costner. I don't know if you've seen that movie, Kevin Costner's The Bodyguard ... with Whitney Houston? "He's probably our bodyguard and he's one of those enforcers. Taking him down to foreign territory, it's going to be good for us." Former Maroons captain Trevor Gillmeister, known as 'The Axe' and a bodyguard of sorts in his own right as a player, said Papalii was in career-best form and would sort the Blues out. When asked what his advice would be for Papalii in his Maroons swansong, Gillmeister got a gleam in his eyes. "Just blow your gasket in the first 20 or 30 minutes and go hard," Gillmeister said. "When the shit hits the fan he will be there in the middle of it. "We have got Alpha males here in Tino (Fa'asuamaleaui) and Lindsay (Collins) and other blokes as well but Papa is the older, settling influence. "Nothing seems to rattle him and he plays like that. How good is he playing for the Raiders at the moment? Outstanding." Papalii was set to arrive in camp on Wednesday after he and his partner Mesepa had a baby boy last week. Maroons hooker Harry Grant, who played alongside Papalii when he made his Origin debut in 2020, said his arrival was much anticipated. "Everyone is really looking forward to big Paps getting back in camp and the presence and aura that he brings to the team," Grant said."He's a scary man to play against and one of the hardest blokes I've had to tackle because he is so wide and has got so many options to his game."He's a protector and warrior of the team and has been for so many years. You know how much Queensland means to him. Every series he has been messaging and saying 'good luck and go well' to the boys and now he is back. "It's pretty cool that he never lost that attachment to the group and how much the Origin series means even though he wasn't in the team for a couple of years."
The Age
21 hours ago
- The Age
Five reasons Latrell Mitchell already has Queensland on edge
'It's my job to bring the best out of him, to make sure he's in the game from the get-go, and that I keep him in the game. Part of a playmaker's responsibility is to make sure his outside men are always in the game, they're in the zone, and when they want the ball they get the ball.' Fullback Dylan Edwards added: 'He's been really strong carrying the ball out of yardage, and some of his silky passes, not many people in the game can do those. 'He's such a physical person on the field, and super humble and so kind off it. I'm excited to see how he goes next Wednesday. I've got no doubts he'll be great.' In case Billy Slater and Queensland needed a refresher, here are five moments from Origin I and Origin II where Mitchell made his mark. Seeing Maroon Mitchell was physical in defence from the opening whistle at Suncorp Stadium, even picking up and smashing Queensland skipper Daly Cherry-Evans into the ground in the first half. The Maroons send a lot of traffic down Mitchell's left edge in an effort to tire him, but he relished the challenge. He also came up with vital tackles on Kalyn Ponga and Xavier Coates when leading the kick-chase, and helped Edwards stop Harry Grant from burrowing over the tryline. How did he do that? One of the best moments of the series so far was Mitchell's pass to To'o to score on the half hour in game one. Queensland pair Rob Toia and Coates raced up on Mitchell, but he caught the ball and shuffled it wide in one midair motion for To'o to complete the short run to the tryline. 'That is just as good as it gets, that's special,' Andrew Johns said on the Nine commentary. Brad Fittler added: 'The fact is Latrell when he threw that ball he was off the ground, I don't know how he finds the strength to actually flick it through his hands that quick when he's not even on the ground.' Desperation play This passage of play was completely forgotten, but it eased some of the pressure on the Blues in Perth when Queensland looked ready to blow the game wide open. The Maroons led 12-6 in the 25th minute and marched downfield with ease before Cam Munster kicked at the end of a set. Coates leapt and kept the ball alive, and Queensland began to spread the ball back in-field. When Tom Dearden resisted a kick and passed to Toia, who failed to grasp it, Mitchell raced out of the line to dive on the ball and win back possession. It was an all-or-nothing play in the wet. Cooper Cronk suggested on the Fox Sports commentary Toia may have spilled the ball because he had one eye on Mitchell rushing in to flatten him. Queensland went on to lead 26-6 by half-time, but Mitchell's eagerness helped win back a bit of field position. To'o good The two passes for To'o to score in the west may not have been as flashy as his final ball in Brisbane, but Mitchell's ability to shift the ball with defenders rushing up on him was lovely to watch. In fact, few centres would have been able to keep their composure and execute with such precision like Mitchell. Just ask To'o, who has quickly learned to expect the unexpected when standing outside Mitchell. 'You can't really explain it. That's just Trell Mit showing his magic,' To'o said. 'Trell brings that bit of magic out of everyone. I'm grateful to have another year playing alongside him.' Perth strip show Jeremiah Nanai charged the ball up in the 71st minute, was greeted by Mitchell, Luai, Crichton and Hudson Young, before the latter three peeled off and Mitchell yanked the ball from Nanai's grasp. He then somehow juggled the ball in his right hand before going to ground and giving NSW a golden attacking set. Crichton was able to score a few plays later to get the Blues within two points.
