Raiders captain Alan Tongue checked into a Melbourne hotel on a typically drizzly May day in Melbourne, and was told he had a new roommate - a softly spoken 19-year-old by the name of Josh Papalii.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was round 10 of 2011, and Canberra went on to beat Melbourne in Papalii's debut game.
Just four weeks later this 19-year-old brute of a footballer scored two tries against the high-flying Brisbane Broncos, indelibly stamping his mark on the game and beginning a journey that would lead to becoming a lime-green legend.
Coach Ricky Stuart believes Papalii will go down as an all-time Raiders great - stratospheric praise from a man who steered a ship which boasted the likes of Mal Meninga, Laurie Daley, Steve Walters and Jason Croker as one of the finest rugby league teams ever assembled.
It was a huge statement from Stuart. But who could argue otherwise?
"We often see a player that comes in and debuts and you just think, you know what this guy belongs here," Tongue recalls.
"We'd heard about Papa coming through in the juniors. I remember Glenn Turner said we've got this young bloke coming through, he's got an amazing motor, he's got the skills, he's a big boy.
"I remember watching him early on. For a 19 year old, the way he could pass the footy left to right, he was shooting field goals from 40 metres out. To come out and play the way he did in a few games we thought, we've got something really special here."
Papalii's numbers tell some of the story.
Sunday's match against the Canterbury Bulldogs will be his 213th in lime green. He's managed 51 tries in 10 years at the top, including a barnstorming four-pointer against Souths last year that rubber stamped Canberra's passage to a first grand final in 25 years.
He's played 15 times for Queensland, 11 for Australia and four for Samoa.
Hidden in those numbers are the true tale of Papalii - a man who hits as hard as anyone in the competition, who plays long minutes and endlessly tears into quivering defensive lines.
But it's Papalii's insurmountable effort that so inspires his teammates, and his genuine, kindhearted nature away from the field that endears himself to fans and former players alike.
When Gold Coast half Jamal Fogarty sprinted away last week, Papalii stalked his prey for 60m before lunging desperately and producing an ankle tap which saved the day. Never mind the 35kg weight difference.
"He doesn't look like he's running 100 miles an hour but he's got incredibly good speed and that was something that was evident early on," Tongue said.
"And he's tough too. You'd try to rev him up a little bit because he's got that aggression in him. Our Polynesian boys bring this great calmness and composure to the way they conduct themselves but when they need to rock n roll they certainly let them out."
MORE RAIDERS NEWS
Queensland coach Meninga admired Papalii from afar for the first few years before deciding the time was right to bring him into the Maroons fold.
"Big body good feet, good motor, can play long minutes...his effort on effort and his ability to produce quality all the time, I think he's among the top rugby league front rowers in the game at the moment," Meninga said.
"It's the big moments in games where he does something, that point of difference that can lead the team out of adversity.
"He's a genuine good guy, very authentic around the team and the club. Very likable, very loyal. He's the most influential player in the footy team at the moment and leads by example. He doesn't talk much and when he talks you listen to him.
"That to me is a true mark of someone that is highly respected in the footy team and does things that's going to inspire the team as well. That's where I think he's at in his career.
"I've got a tendency to agree with Rick when it's all said and done. When Papa finishes his career he'll be noted and be one of our greatest ever players to put the lime green jersey on."
It's sky-scrapingly high praise from Meninga, arguably the greatest Raider of them all and one of the best of all time.
Meninga gives his name to the Raiders' player of the year award, and Papalii has won it three times in the last four seasons. A fourth honour looks on the cards in 2020.
Perhaps they should offer him a 10-year extension - Tongue believes some of Papalii's best footy might still be ahead of him.
"I reflect on my own career and unfortunately my last year my form was fading away a little bit at 30, 31 where as he seems to be getting better and that's an amazing thing," Tongue said.
"We often talk about the influences of halfbacks. There is that saying that outside of probably your halfback, maybe your most important player is your front rower.
"It shows his character, he was dropped and he was doing it a little bit tough and then to come back and win the Mal Meninga Medal. We've seen his value to the organisation for a long period of time.
Perhaps Raiders' game record holder Jason Croker sums Papalii up best.
Like Meninga and Stuart, he also rates the now 28-year-old an-all time great of the club.
"What you see is what you get from him," Croker said.
"He just trains hard, and puts it all on the field and you can see that, all the boys just love him. He's such a good player and good bloke."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
