Super League-linked NRL legend Josh Papali’i to retire as Canberra Raiders’ gestures revealed
Josh Papali'i receives a guard of honour following his 300th Canberra Raiders appearance in 2024
Canberra Raiders legend Josh Papali’i has announced he will retire at the end of the season, officially bringing an end to lingering rumours the veteran may round off his career in Super League.
Veteran forward Papali’i – who has spent his entire career with the Raiders – is one of the modern-day greats of the game Down Under.
Featuring 340 times for the club at first-grade level, the Auckland-born powerhouse – who moved to Australia at the age of five – has also played 11 games on the international stage for Australia as well as ten for Samoa.
Having been strongly linked with a move to St Helens ahead of 2026 before inking a one-year contract extension with Canberra, reports swirled again earlier this season that the 34-year-old may make the switch into Super League for 2027.
Those reports were soon quietened down this time around though, and now, it’s been made official that Papali’i will hang up his boots come the end of the current campaign.
Super League-linked NRL legend Josh Papali’i to retire as Canberra Raiders’ gestures revealed
With Ricky Stuart’s Raiders set to miss out on the finals, Papali’i – whose remarkable CV also includes 24 appearances for Queensland in State of Origin – announced his decision to retire at a press conference on Monday.
During that press conference, a mural of the powerhouse’s famous try against South Sydney Rabbitohs during the 2019 finals was unveiled.
That try clinched victory over Souths en-route to a first Grand Final appearance in 25 years, and seven years on from that iconic moment, the veteran is now the club’s all-time top appearance-maker.
It was also confirmed during the press conference that the Raiders’ GIO Stadium will be renamed ‘Papa’s House’ for one night only in honour of the club legend as he plays his last home game this weekend.
That comes against reigning NRL champions Brisbane Broncos on Friday, before Canberra conclude their campaign away against North Queensland Cowboys on September 5.
