Kai Pearce-Paul nearly joined the Raiders but chose the Wests Tigers, swayed by coach Benji Marshall's influence.
He's been one of the Wests Tigers' best signings of 2026, but Kai Pearce-Paul could easily have been running out onto Leichhardt Oval in a Raiders jersey.
The England second-rower was a hot commodity when he hit the open market last year, and says Canberra were leading late in negotiations, helped by his countrymen in the capital and interest from coach Ricky Stuart.
"Towards the end, the Raiders was the biggest name on my list," Pearce-Paul said of his contract negotiations.
"Had a few chats there, and I had a few of my mates there, the Pommy boys over at the Raiders, too."
Pearce-Paul revealed the swaying point for him was coach Benji Marshall, but the Raiders didn't go down without a fight for the off-contract Newcastle Knight.