[6] After school, Papali'i joined the Auckland development programme and also represented his local club Pakuranga.

[7] Dalton carried his rich vein of form into Auckland’s Mitre 10 Cup campaign, leading the competition tackle statistics with 169[6] and battering defences with his hard running.

Dalton was part of the New Zealand U20 squad that won the 2017 Junior World Championship hosted by Georgia.

[12] After a stellar season in Auckland’s Mitre 10 Cup 2018 campaign, he was somewhat surprisingly called into the 32 man All Blacks squad for their northern tour to Japan and Europe, just weeks after his 21st birthday.

[6] Getting the call meant a lot for the Papali'i family, as his mum broke down in tears upon hearing his name on the list.

[13] Papali'i made his international debut for New Zealand on 3 November 2018, starting in the All Blacks' 69-31 victory over Japan at the Ajinomoto Stadium.

[14][15] With All Black Vice-Captain, Sam Cane, back from a broken neck, Papali'i only made one appearance in the competition, replacing Highlanders blindside flanker, Shannon Frizell, for the final four minutes of a test against South Africa, which ended in a 16-16 draw.