Paea attended Sarah Redfern High School, and played junior rugby league for the Minto Cobras.

During the 2006 NRL season, Paea was suspended for ten weeks after performing a dangerous tackle on Melbourne Storm player Ben Cross.

[4] He played in the 2006 NSW Cup grand final for Newtown who were the Sydney Roosters feeder club at the time against Parramatta.

[6] He played in the 2010 NRL Grand Final earning a late recall in the team replacing James Aubusson.

In June 2015, Paea was granted a release from his contract to return to his first club the Sydney Roosters for the remainder of the season, however did not see any game time.