Queensland star Josh Papali’i’s young son Noa provided one of the highlights of the team’s emotional State of Origin win as he gave a heart-melting TV interview straight after the game.
Papali’i – who came out of Origin retirement to play just after the birth of his fourth child – was speaking to Channel Nine’s Emma Lawrence straight after the match.
‘My family means everything to me,’ he said.
‘There are three things I care about: that’s my faith, my family and obviously this jersey.
‘So glad my son’s old enough to realise what Dad’s doing and hopefully I’m hear in 20 years’ time, supporting him.’
Lawrence then asked a very shy Noa how he thought his dad went.
Pictured: A proud Josh Papali’i looks on as his son Noa tells Nine’s Emma Lawrence he’s worried about his newborn baby brother
Papali’i (pictured with Noa) answered an SOS from coach Billy Slater just after his wife gave birth to their fourth child
‘Good,’ he replied, before pausing for a few seconds.
‘Just worried about the baby at home so my dad could see him and hug him.’
‘You’re a very good big brother, well done. Very, very, very beautiful heart you have, Noa,’ Lawrence said.
Papali’i only got 23 minutes of playing time but that was enough for him to lay a platform for his younger teammates and help lead Queensland to yet another upset triumph.
The previously-retired veteran representative prop answered coach Billy Slater’s SOS call while his wife and newborn son were still in hospital, but was never likely to turn his back on his beloved Maroons.
Five tough carries for near-on 40m in his opening stint might not sound like a heap, but when you consider the 33-year-old slept on a hospital chair for multiple nights in the lead-up to Wednesday night’s decider, it wasn’t a bad innings.
He returned for another 10 minutes in the second half of Queensland’s 24-12 win to seal a 2-1 series victory.
‘I missed the first couple of calls from Bill due to my son being in hospital and my wife as well with a few complications with the birth,’ Papali’i said.
Papali’i is pictured with Queensland skipper Cameron Munster after the emotional underdog win saw Queensland take the series on Wednesday night
‘I wasn’t going to come back but when I saw Bill’s number pop up, I just said ‘yes’.
‘I knew the value of what I could bring to this footy team, that calmness, just being that calm head among the group.’
Papali’i hadn’t played Origin since 2022, instead focusing on his club football in Canberra’s stellar campaign that’s put them top of the NRL ladder.
His strong form, and the Maroons’ need for a cool head in the middle prompted Slater’s call for help.
‘I was terrified that he was going to say ‘sorry Bill, my days are done’ but within a couple of words, I felt he still had that fire in him,’ Slater said.
‘His wife Sepa had a baby boy the week before, and there were a few complications, and the big fella slept in a hospital chair for a couple of nights, his priority was being a dad and making sure his family was okay.
‘That first 15 minutes, he just laid that platform for the rewards to come.’
Slater said Papali’i’s fellow Samoan-heritage middle Tino Fa’asuamaleaui had been following him around ‘like a puppy dog’ all through camp – a claim the Gold Coast captain was only too happy to confirm.
‘I’ve been hanging off his hip, just soaking in the time with him and just enjoying it, because it is his last camp,’ Fa’asuamaleaui told AAP.
‘He’s a legend and he’s my idol to be honest, since coming in here and in this arena back in 2020 …. I’m just so glad we got to send him off with another win.’
