Rugby League World Cup 2022: Josh Papalii determined to make up for lost time

The Canberra Raiders forward had the chance to represent his country of heritage, Samoa. It should have been a special moment for the proud Polynesian prop. Instead it turned into a missed opportunity.

The Samoans finished the tournament with three losses and a draw, bundled out of the competition by Australia in a 46-0 drubbing in the quarter-finals.

Looking back, Papalii conceded he spent too much time enjoying life in camp and not enough time focused on his performances on the field.

With the Canberra Raiders' season now over after Friday night's loss to the Parramatta Eels, the punishing forward has turned his focus to World Cup redemption.

Instead of pulling on the green and gold, the 30-year-old has chosen to once again represent his country of heritage at the tournament.

Likely to join Papalii in the Samoan side are the likes of Junior Paulo, Jarome Luai and Jaydn Su'A, the team looking to follow in Tonga's footsteps and challenge the tier one nations.

Samoa will commence its campaign with a blockbuster clash against hosts England on October 15 before games against Greece and France.

Given the talent present, Samoa is a genuine chance of progressing to the knockout stage and upsetting a number of its more-fancied rivals.

Such a result would provide Papalii with a dose of redemption five years after his last World Cup appearance.

"It will be very exciting to play for Samoa," Papalii said.

"I didn't have the strongest World Cup campaign in 2017. I won't be treating this one like a holiday. We'll take it one game at a time, we've got England first up. We've got to get over there and prepare for that match."

A host of Raiders are likely to feature in the World Cup, with Jack Wighton and Hudson Young leading the charge for the Kangaroos.

Six Canberra players were named in the initial New Zealand squad, Joe Tapine headlining a group also featuring Matt Timoko and Sebastian Kris.

Raiders Mal Meninga medallist Tapine, 28, is expected to add numerous end-of-season awards to his trophy cabinet in the next week before he turns his focus to the World Cup.

Papalii has watched in awe as his friend set the NRL alight this year but it will be a different feeling lining up on the opposite side of the field.

MORE CANBERRA RAIDERS NEWS:

"It's been awesome to watch Taps," Papalii said.

"He's had one of those seasons, he's been unstoppable. Everything he touches turns to gold, off and on the field. He's been rewarded with the Mal Meninga Medal, he will get the Dally M prop of the year and he'll go close to wining the Dally M.

"He's going to do some big stuff in the near future, starting with the World Cup."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: