Junior Pauga

Between 2016 and 2018, Pauga was a member of the New Zealand Warriors NSW Cup team. From 2019, he joined the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup. In his first season, he played 13 games for 10 wins, 3 tries, 9 goals.[3] and was a member of the team that lost to the Burleigh Bears in the grand final.[4]

In 2020, Pauga made one appearance in Wynnum's first grade before the competition was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] One of a handful of players who chose to join the lower-grade team when that competition restarted, Pauga scored a try and kicked 6 goals as Wynnum won the reserve grade grand final. He said, "When COVID hit, we got told that Cup was off; and then I heard that BRL was coming back, so I was like... even though Cup was not on, I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to play footy and have fun with the boys. It was pretty good to be part of the team; I have some mates, we all came from New Zealand and the goal was for them to play Cup this year."[6]

After playing the first 4 games with Wynnum in 2021, Pauga was released to join the Wests Tigers in the NRL.

Pauga made his debut in round 18, for the Wests Tigers against the Brisbane Broncos, scoring a try in a 42-24 victory. Before the game, he said, "It’s been a tough journey over the past three years. After leaving the Warriors, I didn’t have anything and had to go to Queensland to start all over again. When this opportunity came up, I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to take it with both hands and I don’t ever want to take it for granted."[7][8]