Backrower returns in a better place
JUNIOR Paulo insists he’s returning to Parramatta a more mature man, ready to step up on and off the NRL field after two-and-ahalf years in Canberra.
In round one against Penrith, Paulo will run out for the Eels for the first time since May 2016, after leaving Parramatta for the Raiders midway through that season.
At the time, the young forward needed to get away from the distractions of Sydney, after a string of matters including a common assault conviction from a road rage incident and being warned by NSW Police for consorting with criminals.
But the 25-year-old says Canberra has changed him for the better.
“I won’t shy away from where I was before I left,” Paulo said. “But I’m definitely a lot more of a mature person on, and off the field as well.
“I was able to find myself as a footballer in Canberra and being able to grow as one. I was playing good footy down there.
“And away from footy altogether, I found I was able to become a better father and a better adult – and just a better person overall.”
After being surrounded by extended family in his childhood home of western Sydney, Paulo and partner Mele were forced to raise four-year-old son MarioCade and three-year-old daughter Rosalina without their normal extra support in Canberra.
“We were able to grow as a family with my partner and two kids,” he said. “For both of us, it was the first time we have ever been away from our parents and a move out of home. It was one we were looking forward to and has helped us grow as people.”
Paulo arrives back at the Eels with a big job to do on the field.
Parramatta’s pack had struggled last year for size and power, and 123kg Paulo brings them that in bucketloads. He joins Shaun Lane and Blake Ferguson as new arrivals.
“What I bring to the team is going to be a lot of that goforward,” Paulo said.
“I think we’ve got a good combination of forwards now.”
– Scott Bailey