Should the Raiders re-sign Josh Papalii?

Emotion is a powerful thing in sport.

When you think Canberra Raiders, you think the milk, you think the green machine, you think Ricky Stuart, and you think Josh Papalii.

The veteran prop is simply part of the furniture in the Capital Territory.

He bleeds green like few others have over the years, and the club's fan base supports him like they have with few others over the years.

That's no real surprise, though.

A player with cult hero status who also happens to be one of the best props - scratch that, players - to have ever put on the club's jersey is always going to rally a fan base around him.

But he is also a realist.

When he came out earlier this year and admitted his future was going to be away from the nation's capital, probably the NRL in general, it was the mark of a man who didn't want to stand in the way of a club going places.

Of a club who have forward stocks coming through the ranks, and with players who will need first-grade minutes to remain committed to what coach Ricky Stuart is building in the nation's capital.

But then came Papalii's 2025 season, and one of the form turnarounds you could only dream of for a player of his age.

That's not to say he was playing poorly in 2024, but Papalii brings with him an aura, experience, and, more importantly, this year, a level of play that makes him a worthy part of a 17 who are, with a fortnight to play, locked in for a home qualifying final.

The Auckland-born 33-year-old has mixed his time between starting and coming off the bench this year, and while his numbers aren't what they once were, the Canberra games record holder who debuted all the way back in 2011 has still been better than solid.

A tick over 100 metres per game, tackling at almost 97 per cent, and absolutely zero fuss or nonsense on his way to doing his job in a team where the forward pack is now led by Corey Horsburgh and Joseph Tapine.

His form was so strong that Queensland coach Billy Slater called him up into the State of Origin arena for the decider.

Papalii did what he has been doing all year there, too. His job.

He started the match strongly, helped put New South Wales on the back foot, and the Maroons never looked back.

Off the field?

It's fair to say Billy Slater was glowing in what he brought to camp in preparations for the famous victory, with Queensland snatching Game 3 in Sydney, of all places, just 12 months after the Blues had done the same to them in Brisbane.

So when Papalii then decided he wanted to stay in Australia and not go to England next year, it made sense that the Raiders would at the very least be interested.

You don't win premierships without experienced warriors like Papalii. It's as simple as that.

But should the Raiders actually be extending his time with the club?

It's certainly going to put a fork in the development of players like Ata Mariota, and by all reports, will see the Green Machine release Trey Mooney from the final years of his deal.

Mooney's absence could sting in the future, but at the same time, the Eels junior who has reportedly been in talks with the Newcastle Knights hasn't lived up to the enormous potential he arrived at the club with... Yet, anyway.

The continuing brick wall in front of Mariota is maybe the biggest argument for not re-signing Papalii.

He has played 22 games this year, but now 23 years of age, he is at the bottom of the rotation in Stuart's 17 and has played more than 30 minutes on just 12 occasions throughout the course of the year, although his minutes are certainly starting to pick up at the back-end of the campaign.

Mariota is seen as a star, but at 23, he hasn't been able to break through for proper opportunities. Off-contract at the end of next year, he will likely explore his options at some point.

Jordan, Myles and Noah Martin are also being blocked in their path to consistent first grade by the wall of players ahead of them, while the likes of 21-year-old Vena Patuki-Case are going to be, if not already, ready for first grade in the coming season.

Papalii staying essentially will block that path, though, and could well cost the Raiders a player or two.

The flipside of that, however, is that none of those players are ready to be Papalii, nor do they bring his level of experience.

The Raiders, at the start of the year, were seemingly in rebuild mode, but all of a sudden, their 2025 campaign has them in win-now territory.

It has been one of the most dramatic turnarounds in recent memory, and a chunk of that is down to Stuart not only showing loyalty to his experienced players but also understanding what makes the Raiders as a club tick.

The city's fan base is passionate, and few have bled green more than Stuart.

He loves the club, loves the city, and loves his players. You only had to look at the hurt he went through when Jack Wighton left, the way he talks about Papalii or his experienced leaders, and the way he managed Jarrod Croker's run to 300 games last year to know what his playing group means to him.

And for that to work, throwing Papalii out on his ear would be blowing up what he has built.

Perhaps the biggest issue heading into 2026 will be the departure of halfback Jamal Fogarty.

It only adds to the case - on the experience front, at least - to re-sign Papalii.

If the club do lose a youngster or two, but manages to win a premiership this year or next, it will all be worth it.

On the surface at least, that is a risk seemingly well worth taking.