If he has to choose between hurling his 123-kilogram frame into harm’s way against one of the NRL’s most imposing forward packs or issuing a Churchillian speech, Junior Paulo knows which option he’s taking.
“I’m not too fond of public speaking, so talking in front of the boys is pretty hard,” the Parramatta Eels front-rower said.
That’s why he is happy to let co-captain Clint Gutherson front the NRL’s finals series launch and the post-game press conferences. Because when you’re talking leadership styles, King Gutho and not-so-junior Paulo are like chalk and cheese.
Gutherson is the voice, the fullback barking instructions in defence and chiming in wherever he sees fit to bolster an attack that troubles the minor premiership-winning Penrith Panthers like no other. The 27-year-old combines with Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown to pull the strings of an offensive system that has beaten Penrith twice this year.
Paulo is the muscle, providing brute force and more offloads than all but five of his competitors to lay a platform for Moses to lead the league in try assists. The Samoan international admits he “never thought” he’d be captaining a team in a finals series, which is what he will do in a qualifying final against Penrith at BlueBet Stadium on Friday night.
Feeling the pressure? Not a chance.
Junior Paulo is leading from the front for Parramatta.Credit:James Alcock
“We can take away the pressure from ourselves with them finishing first, playing at Penrith and being the reigning premiers. We’re flying under the radar and being underdogs,” Paulo said.
Although it’s hard to imagine a giant like Paulo could ever go under the radar. If he starts charging at Nathan Cleary or Jarome Luai, he will be hard to miss.
But long before he can terrorise the Penrith halves, Paulo knows he has to get the jump on Panthers props Moses Leota and James Fisher-Harris. Only a brave man would back against him given the captaincy bestowed upon him by Brad Arthur has coincided with one of the best years of Paulo’s career.
“You want to be able to lay the platform for your team. I have a lot more accountability on my own performance now that I am a leader,” Paulo said.
The combination of Paulo’s offloads and the playmaking of Mitchell Moses (left) has proven lethal for Parramatta this season.Credit:Getty
“When you’re a leader, you can’t afford to have an off day because the boys follow suit. I can’t challenge them if I’m not doing my job, it becomes a bit hypocritical, doesn’t it?
“You’ve got to be able to challenge the boys. I was only joking, I’m not too bad with the talking. You’re not really a team if you’re not comfortable talking in front of your peers. It’s a lot easier now.
“As a leader, you want to be able to challenge your teammates. In our video sessions we’ve been having some honest conversations and I think that’s been helping us just grow as a team. It definitely gives us the belief we need, especially on the back of what we’ve been building over the past couple of years. Heading into this finals series, we know exactly what team we want to be.”
Which is a physical team ready for an 80-minute grind, one that starts fast in a bid to silence a parochial Penrith crowd at a sold-out stadium.
Eels prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard could think of no better man to lead the way than Paulo, the softly-spoken behemoth who used to get so nervous in a press conference he’d sweat before turning into “the ultimate leader”.
“It gives me goosebumps just thinking about it,” Campbell-Gillard said.
“He’s the ultimate leader, he leads by his actions. I get excited when I’m suiting up with him next to me. What he does for this team, it’s priceless.”
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