Paasi keen on Murdoch-Masila reunion

A decade after they combined to win a national title with Keebra Park State High School, Warriors prop Agnatius Paasi is hoping to link with Ben Murdoch-Masila once again.  

NRL.com understands the Warriors are in discussions to sign Murdoch-Masila for 2021, with the 28-year-old's contract with the Warrington Wolves in the Super League expiring this year.   

Murdoch-Masila, who previously played 58 NRL games for the Wests Tigers and Penrith Panthers, has been a key part of Tonga's meteoric rise on the international stage. 

Paasi said his former schoolmate on Queensland's Gold Coast, who he won the Arrive Alive Cup with in 2009, would fit in at the Warriors.  

"I'd like to see him here, he's been playing over in England for a long time and he's a strong runner and good defender, so I'd like to see him here and hopefully he comes," Paasi told NRL.com.

"Back at Keebra Park, we used to do runs at each other during lunchtime.

"He was scared to run it up to me then, but I don't think he will be scared now. I keep in touch with him here and there still."

After putting pen to paper on a new deal last year which will keep him at the Warriors until the end of 2022, Paasi is relishing having long-term security for the first time in his career.  

It has put the 28-year-old and his family in a position to purchase their first home in Auckland, and he's hoping it will have positive impacts on the field as well.

"I'm stoked to be here for another three years and now I am just looking to build on last year. I can just focus on my performance now and being consistent," Paasi told NRL.com.

"At the moment my partner and I are looking to purchase a house.

"It's been a bit daunting training all week and then going to open homes on the weekend, but that's our plan at the moment.

"I'm happy, my family is happy and the club is happy."

While the core of the Warriors' forward pack is expected to remain unchanged from last year, Paasi is backing 20-year-old forward Josh Curran to force his way into the starting 13 for the season opener against the Newcastle Knights.

After making just two appearances for the Warriors last year following his mid-season switch from the Roosters, Curran's strong pre-season has caught the eye of coach Stephen Kearney.

"He [Curran] has got a great skill set and has come from an environment at the Roosters where they set pretty high standards," Kearney said.

"He potentially has an opportunity here to cement himself as an NRL player. It's just a matter of making sure that he stays on task.

"I think he has got the capability to be able to do that."