Api Koroisau has poked fun at his title chances at Wests Tigers as he and Isaiah Papali'i head to the club in contrasting moods after the NRL grand final.
This one might hurt a little, Wests Tigers fans.
In the midst of Penrith's premiership celebrations, even Api Koroisau made a cheeky joke about his chances of winning another title with the Tigers.
Signed to the wooden-spooners for the next two seasons, Koroisau was met with pleas for a backflip from Penrith fans at Monday morning's premiership celebrations.
The appeals came after a video emerged on social media of Koroisau showing off his three premiership rings after Sunday night's grand final success.
In the background, a member of the Panthers' on-field party can be heard saying "Last ones. Don't get those at the Tigers".
Koroisau was clearly in on the joke come Monday morning, letting out a loud snicker into the microphone as he said he hoped to finish with a title at the Tigers.
"The last few years I've been (at Penrith) this place has turned into a family for me," Koroisau said to a crowd of about 3000 fans at BlueBet Stadium.
"So much young talent, and just to go out on a high like that, it's pretty incredible.
"And we'll probably do the same thing at the Tigers."
The Tigers have the longest-running finals drought in the NRL, entering next season under new coach Tim Sheens without a top-eight finish since their 2011 exit.
Koroisau's comment was clearly in jest and he has been adamant all season he would be joining the club.
The same cannot be said for Parramatta second-rower Isaiah Papali'i, who has publicly grappled with his mixed feelings about honouring a contract signed last November.
Eels coach Brad Arthur confirmed his star would depart in the lead-up to the decider, and the 24-year-old admitted leaving his teammates without a chance for redemption was tough.
"It's just going to make me hungry ... I definitely want to be back in this position to get the chance again to come out on top," Papali'i told AAP.
"That's footy, you've got to move on, tomorrow's a new day.
"You've got to make sure you give yourself the opportunity to be here again and try our best to get out on top.
"There's a lot of emotion, but next time I'm around here I can definitely say I've experienced it all before."
Papali'i's two-year stint at the Eels can only be described as a success, his breakout 2021 campaign earning him a place in the Dally M team of the year.
"I owe a lot to the club, the coaches, the players and just the staff in general, because if I hadn't come here I don't know what would have happened," he said.
"I'm going to make sure I enjoy my last moments, then I'll just have to move on and make sure I take learnings from these awesome people."
