Papalii not focused on NRL form, Origin

Canberra enforcer Josh Papalii has enjoyed a solid start to the NRL, but he says that'll all be forgotten with a single bad game.

He's enjoyed a memorable start to the NRL season, but Josh Papalii admits he's only one bad game away from being forgotten.

The forward was a new addition to the Raiders' leadership group for 2016 and has been as influential as ever on the field in the opening four rounds.

He's already scored three tries, and is averaging more than 22 tackles, 11 runs and 93 metres a match.

"But I'm still at the back of fitness," Papalii joked when asked about his form and whether he'd done anything different during the pre-season.

"I guess I'm just enjoying my footy. My little daughter's keeping me busy. Going away from training and not thinking about footy all the time has helped.

"But it's still early rounds. I could play a bad game this week and then everyone forgets about how good I've started.

"I'm not thinking about any form at the moment, I'm just trying to do my job for the team."

While the Queensland side won't be named until after round 11, talk of State of Origin is hard to avoid for a man like Papalii.

He played in last year's Game III annihilation of NSW, scoring a try off the bench in the 52-6 victory.

While he'd been named 18th man for Game II, it was Papalii's first match for the Maroons since the 2014 series opener. His only other appearances came in 2013.

"It's always a goal, but it's something I'm not thinking about at the moment," he said.

"It's down further in the season. We're still in round five and I'm focused on getting a win this weekend."

The Raiders play Canterbury at Belmore on Monday.


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Source: AAP


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