Josh Papalii faces retirement fears after an ankle injury but uses it as motivation for finals.
Canberra icon Josh Papalii was preparing for retirement after thinking he broke his ankle just as the Raiders were stepping up their NRL finals preparations.
Despite speculation among the rival Brisbane camp that the star forward's injury was a ploy concocted by coach Ricky Stuart as some sort of mental warfare, Papalii revealed he feared for the worst after collapsing at training earlier in September.
Ahead of a do-or-die semi-final against Cronulla on Saturday, the 33-year-old is using the experience as motivation.