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Josh Papalii has revealed how he feared he had broken his ankle, and laughed at suggestions the Broncos were convinced he and the Raiders were playing mind games ahead of Sunday’s qualifying final.
“No mind games here, bro,” said Papalii, as he shared a photo of his heavily bruised and swollen left ankle.
Papalii was named on an extended bench for the Raiders, but said he would make a call a few days before the sold-out game at GIO Stadium to allow the team to prepare accordingly.
The veteran enforcer broke down at training last Friday and has been working around the clock to get himself right.
“I thought it was broken,” Papalii told this masthead. “I legitimately tripped over my own foot. I rolled the left ankle and rolled the right ankle inwards at the same time. The main issue was the left ankle.
“There were no breaks, just a lot of swelling. I did the left ankle back in 2016. I did my syndesmosis, I got a few tightropes in there, and they got a bit of a workout the other day.
Josh Papalii is hoping to be fit enough for week one of the finals after injury his ankle.Credit: Getty/Supplied
“I haven’t run yet. I’ll try to run later in the week. I’ve just been stuck on the ‘game ready’ the last few days, which is an ice machine.
“I’ve still got a few days. I won’t make a last-minute decision. I want to give whoever comes in [time to prepare]. It’s not about me, it’s about the team and making sure they perform well.”
Papalii said the beauty of Canberra finishing on top of the ladder was that they have a second chance, regardless of whether they lose to the Broncos. That means there is no pressure for him to rush back this week. Brisbane are adopting the same philosophy with Adam Reynolds and his troublesome hamstring.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart giggled when he read about the Broncos questioning Papalii’s injury, or what The Courier Mail described as “Ricky Trickery”.
“We don’t need to play mind games,” Stuart said. “Papa has been named; each day, he is improving, but will he improve enough to get to the game? That’s the unknown,” Stuart said.
“I’m hoping he’ll be alright to play. It is an unknown at the moment. I won’t play him at 80 or 90 per cent. There’s no need to.”
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Papalii became the most-capped Raiders player in the club’s history this year, with his form not only earning the 33-year-old a Queensland Origin recall, but also a contract extension that will keep him in the nation’s capital next year for a 16th season.
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