Veteran Parramatta Eels prop Junior Paulo has opened up on his NRL future, saying he would love to extend his time out west.

Paulo is off-contract at year's end and has returned to playing his best under new coach Jason Ryles.

Paulo, who is dangerous with the ball in hand and can offload at ease, would be of value to many NRL clubs. 

However, he intends to stay with the Eels, telling Fox Sports that he will leave it up to his manager to strike a deal with the club to keep him in Parramatta.

“I'd definitely love to. That's something between my manager and the club, so I'd love to stay,” he said.

Despite a short stint in the nations captial, Paulo has been an Eels veteran, notching 208 appearances in the blue and gold.

He also represented the NSW Blues on 11 occasions and was a long-term skipper of the Samoan national side, where he donned the Samoan blue 20 times, making him their most-capped player ever. 

Along with re-signing Paulo, another primary objective for the Eels is signing Mitch Barnett, who recently announced he is being released by the New Zealand Warriors on compassionate grounds. 

“Yeah, (he's) certainly someone we would potentially look at,” Jason Ryles said to Fox Sports.

"He's an Origin forward. I think that's an area of our roster that we can certainly improve or strengthen is probably a better word.

“I think us, like many clubs, will obviously be looking in that space."

The Eels start their 2026 campaign against the Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park on March 5.

 

 

Get set for the footy with the FREE Zero Tackle 2026 NRL Season Guide! Packed with 130+ pages of player profiles, team previews, insights and analysis, the 2026 NRL Season Guide is built for fans who want the full picture. Download your free Season Guide HERE.