‘He will be fine’: Ryan Papenhuyzen gets the green light to play the Dragons

The Storm will be without some of their big guns for the game against the Dragons, with the club making a call on injured fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.

The Storm have received a timely boost with superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen set to line up against the Dragons on Saturday afternoon in a new-look spine that will feature Tyran Wishart in the No.7 jersey.

Last week’s win over Penrith in the grand final rematch came at a cost with Dally M winner Jahrome Hughes breaking his hand, while right centre Nick Meaney is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after he suffered a facial fracture following a head clash with teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona, who is also out.

But there is some good news for the 2024 minor premiers who should have Papenhuyzen for their game against the Dragons in Sydney after the fan favourite got through Friday’s captain’s run.

Ryan Papenhuyzen is set to face the Dragons after overcoming an ankle injury. Picture: NRL Photos

“He hasn’t done all of training this week but he’s done a bit of it and he did the last session that we did and seemed to get through that OK, so if he gets through today he will be fine,” Bellamy said.

The injury to Hughes is a big blow given he leads the team’s attack, but Bellamy has full confidence in Wishart who has handled every position thrown his way, including filling in at halfback three times last year.

Wishart’s future has been a major talking point, with a number of clubs keen to sign a guy who can play pretty much anywhere except in the front row, with the Storm desperate to keep him given his utility value.

“Wish hasn’t played a lot at that position with us, so hopefully this week he’s got a bit of a feel for the guys playing around him, and they’ve got a bit of a feel for him,” Bellamy said.

“We know what his strengths are so we don’t want him to be a Jahrome Hughes (clone), we want him to be Tyran Wishart. That’s what we expect from him.

“He seems to be able to cover any position any time when we throw him in to a game to start or if someone comes off during a game injured, he comes on and seems to get the job done.

“That’s really helpful to have a player that can do that in your team.”

The Storm are desperate to keep Tyran Wishart given his ability to play so many positions. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

While the Storm are 2-0, the Dragons haven’t won a game this year and there’s already pressure on their halves after they failed to ice the game against Souths.

But Bellamy is wary of a team that boasts a monster forward pack and has already shown how potent its left edge can be in 2025.

“They’re a big side and they play at pace and they like to move the ball around, so it’s always going to be hard to handle,” he said.

“They’ve probably been a little bit unlucky in both their games this year.

“They’re probably all still working out the best way to play their games but certainly with St George, moving the ball and offloading the ball, that’s a really strong suit of theirs.”

Originally published as ‘He will be fine’: Ryan Papenhuyzen gets the green light to play the Dragons