{"id":160669,"date":"2021-11-15T19:56:29","date_gmt":"2021-11-15T20:56:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=160669"},"modified":"2021-11-15T23:59:17","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T23:59:17","slug":"eels-forward-rejects-massive-interstate-offer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=160669","title":{"rendered":"Eels forward rejects massive interstate offer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barnstorming Eels<\/a> back-rower Isaiah Papali'i looks set to knock back a massive approach from the new Dolphins<\/a> franchise for 2023, leaving his future a two-horse race.<\/p>\n

Papali'i's manager Daniel O'Loughlin has told Wide World of Sports that the much-improved forward doesn't want to leave Sydney.<\/p>\n

That reduces his options to staying at Parramatta or accepting a big offer from Wests Tigers.<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Marsh tipped for Ashes role after World Cup heroics<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Third player accuses Vaughan of making racist comments<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Wallabies duo nominated for prestigious award<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

"Isaiah is settled in Sydney with his family and prefers to stay here," O'Loughlin said.<\/p>\n

"The Tigers are very keen but he also feels a loyalty to Parramatta so will probably give them the last say.<\/p>\n

"I think they are meeting this week so we will see what they come up with."<\/p>\n

Papali'i was one of the big improvers of 2021, helping the Eels into the top four with his aggressive forward play in attack and defence.<\/p>\n

\"Isaiah<\/p>\n

His ability to play both middle and edge forward adds to his value and the tough forward has been in hot demand.<\/p>\n

Papali'i finished 2021 third in the NRL for post-contact metres and should only get better in coming years.<\/p>\n

The Eels are desperate to keep him but also have several big names off contract including skipper Clint Gutherson, hooker Reed Mahoney and prop Junior Paulo.<\/p>\n

Roosters legend enters politics<\/h2>\n

Russell Fairfax was the king of the teeny-boppers nearly half a century ago, bringing a touch of Beatle-mania to rugby league.<\/p>\n

The Roosters fullback was something of a footballing rebel, refusing to cut his blonde locks – even though it resulted him getting barred from Easts Leagues Club when the Roosters won the premiership in 1974.<\/p>\n

Thousands of youngsters in Sydney's east worshipped the flashy fullback, and 'Fairy' will be hoping they have long memories.<\/p>\n

\"Russell<\/p>\n

The former Wallaby – who has successfully beaten a brain tumour in recent years – is running as an Independent in the upcoming local government elections. Fairfax already has a pretty good idea of the ruthless nature of politics through his experiences in sport.<\/p>\n

A few years ago he told me "The Roosters sacked me as a player, sacked me as a coach \u2026 and then made me a life member."<\/p>\n

Broncos sign rising star<\/h2>\n

Boom young winger Ethan Quai-Ward has signed a fulltime deal with the Broncos for 2022.<\/p>\n

One of the standout players in his debut season of the Queensland Cup this year, Quai-Ward scored a host of tries for Souths Logan Magpies.<\/p>\n

The 21-year-old hails from Brisbane but has travelled around, spending time with both the Roosters and Rabbitohs in their junior systems.<\/p>\n

Strong and fast, he will be one of several contenders for the wing spot vacated by Xavier Coates following his move to the Storm.<\/p>\n

Quai-Ward can also play in the centres and may get a chance there in the pre-season trials.<\/p>\n

Prodigy shines in two sports<\/h2>\n

A couple of months ago, I revealed the story here of Ryley Smith – a fine all-round sportsman who achieved what no one has done in 40 years – winning Australian selection at schoolboy level in both rugby league and cricket.<\/p>\n

Smith's story took another twist last weekend when the 18-year-old notched his maiden first grade century for Penrith in the Sydney grade competition.<\/p>\n

\"Ryley<\/p>\n

He joins a list of youngest players to score a ton in the comp that includes Mark and Steve Waugh, Doug Walters, Arthur Morris and Bob Simpson.<\/p>\n

A hard-hitting number three batsman, Smith is also a talented hooker and will soon put away the whites to prepare for the 2022 league season with the Panthers.<\/p>\n

For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/em><\/strong> clicking here!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barnstorming Eels back-rower Isaiah Papali'i looks set to knock back a massive approach from the new Dolphins franchise for 2023, leaving his future a two-horse […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160669"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=160669"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160671,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160669\/revisions\/160671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=160669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=160669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=160669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}