Why Horo is 'stoked' about Paulo staying at Parra

Junior Paolo has re-signed with the Parramatta Eels, with Justin Horo expressing his delight at the decision.

Coming out of contract this year, Paolo did have rival clubs like the Perth Bears interested in his services.

But the forward has elected to remain with the Eels choosing to sign a one-year deal marking his 13th season with the club.

Speaking after the news was confirmed, the former Eel was glad the 32-year-old stayed.

“I'm stoked he's stayed at Parramatta, mate,” Horo said on SEN’s The Run Home with Joel and Scope.

“He's been a great leader; he's actually played exceptional footy in the last couple of years with a real young pack around him. He's got quite a presence about him.”

Despite not playing the Samoan representative during his time in the NRL, Horo does have fond memories of Paulo when he was breaking into the side as a 20-year-old.

And despite the physicality required to play as a front rower, it’s his ability to adapt to the modern game that has allowed him to play so long in the eyes of the one-time NZ Māori representative.

“I remember Junior all the way dating back to the year before I left Parramatta,” he continued.

“He was coming through the grades; he was handpicked with a number of young players from the under twenties that were getting a lot of NRL experience.

“He made his debut all the way back in 2013, and I was thinking about it's probably the position where it's the most physical, and there's so much wear and tear through the middle of the field.

“But you can reinvent yourself better than any other position through the middle. You think about some of the middles like our man Blairy (Adam Blair) played 300 games, Dale Finucane, another 300 gamer, Jesse Bromwich; it's a tough sport, but it's simple.

“If you do it the right way, like Junior has, he might have lost a little bit of juice with a little bit of speed, but being able to adapt to the game and just add a little bit of skill to his game as he's gone through the years.”

The Eels will have Jarome Luai, Spencer Leniu and Jaydn Su’A joining the side during the off-season ahead of the 2027 season.