After a breakout 2021 season in which he snared Dally M second-rower of the year honours, New Zealand international Papali'i signed a deal to join Kiwis coach Michael Maguire at the Tigers for 2023.

Since then, Maguire has been sacked and the Tigers have been consigned to a battle with Gold Coast to avoid the wooden spoon.

Reports emerged in July that Papali'i was considering reneging on his move to the 15th-placed Tigers.

Speculation only intensified when Papali'i refused to publicly confirm he would honour his deal and the Eels revealed they had the salary cap space to retain him.

A month later and the Eels are now on the cusp of the top-four with four games left in the regular season, leading Papali'i to put contract discussions off until Parramatta's finals campaign was complete.

"I've got a season to finish off and then I can worry about all that after," he said.

"When it does come time to have that talk (with the Tigers), we'll definitely have that talk behind the scenes.

"We (Parramatta) have a massive opportunity and I just want to make sure I put my best foot forward. I definitely believe this team can go all the way. That's what my focus has been on lately."

The Eels are already preparing to lose key members of their forward pack in Reed Mahoney, Oregon Kaufusi and Marata Niukore but the uncertainty around Papali'i's future has not been a source of frustration among the playing group.

"You get poked here and there about it but they're pretty good about it," Papali'i said.

"They understand what my situation is and they're backing me to do a massive job this season."

The Tigers' attack showed marked signs of improvement following Jackson Hastings' switch to lock in round 18, which has encouraged Papali'i as he prepares to weigh up his future.

"They've been playing some good footy. It's cool watching from the outside," he said.

"I'm definitely excited for any team that has been struggling throughout a season to put in some good performances."

Australian Associated Press