When Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen stood on the podium with the Clive Churchill Medal around his neck after the 2020 grand final he had the world at his feet.
The four years since have been a roller coaster ride.
The Melbourne player who deserved to feel the most satisfaction and joy late Friday night was the man affectionately known as Pappy.
He is league’s ultimate comeback story.
He was the star of the show that night in 2020 when the Storm triumphed 26-20 over Penrith. Seeing Papenhuyzen race 80 metres from the back of a scrum to score a try never gets old.
But then came a shocking high tackle and concussion during Magic Round in 2021. Then the shattered kneecap in the middle of 2022. Then the broken ankle at the end of last year – when silence fell across Suncorp Stadium.
Papenhuyzen does his best to keep a smile on his face when answering questions about his injuries. You can understand him not wanting to dwell on the darkest days of his career. He often points out people are doing it tougher than him.
But he is one of the great stories of grand final week.
Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Granrt celebrate in Melbourne on Friday night.Credit: Getty
Storm legends Cameron Smith and Billy Slater, coach Craig Bellamy and Papenhuyzen’s TikTok star partner Emma Mac all told this masthead how the fullback needed to be celebrated because of his resilience, patience and refusal to walk away from the game.
Papenhuyzen, 26, is well aware of the interest in his journey.
“It’s tough – I wouldn’t wish those injuries upon anyone,” he says. “And you go through them not knowing what’s on the other side.
“But it’s moments like now you reflect and realise it’s worth going through it all. There are a lot of people who go through tougher situations than I’ve had to face.
“I was really lucky I had good medical staff around me, I was still in a job and got physio treatment every day for injuries that were pretty brutal.
“I feel like I can be an inspiration to some people, and that was another motivator for me as well. Hopefully, they’ve seen what I’ve been doing and get inspiration from it.
“You have to persist and have hope something might happen. Hopefully, we can top it off next week.”
Ryan Papenhuyzen and Dale Finucane with the NRL trophy in 2020.Credit: NRL Photos
Smith played a remarkable 430 NRL games, so resilience is not an issue, but he wonders how he would have coped if faced with the same setbacks.
“I was here the night he shattered his kneecap, and it didn’t look good for him or his future,” Smith says.
“Once he came back from that, I thought to myself, ‘One more major injury and that might do him’. Then he broke his leg at Suncorp. I was there for that game, too.
“It’s incredible how he’s been able to come back and the resilience he’s shown to fight through those two injuries.
“When you look at him, he’s not a big dude, so for him to have that mental strength and say, ‘You know what, I still have the ability and drive to come back and play and be at my best’ … he’s done that.
“When you look at all the great stories in sport, it’s all off the back of hard work and commitment. That’s what Paps has shown.”
Ryan Papenhuyzen breaks his leg in 2023.Credit: Getty
Bellamy has often said he’s never come across a player who has dealt with so many major injuries.
When you ask Bellamy what he says to a player straight after a game, when there are all sorts of negative emotions, the coach says: “Sometimes it’s hard to know what to say. I don’t think you ever know what to say. All you can say is, ‘Listen mate, we’re here to help you all we can; we’ll support you all we can, and whatever you need on your road to recovery, just let us know’.
“The players are like sons to me. It’s been quite remarkable for him to get back, do what he just did in a prelim, and now go to another grand final.
“He obviously played in 2020, but some of the injuries he’s had since then … he’s no trouble, he’s not a big head and the kids love him. He’s got a lot more going for him than just the mullet.”
Ryan Papenhuyzen after being knocked unconscious on May 16 during Magic Round.Credit: Getty
At the start of this year, Papenhuyzen spoke about Slater and the role his family played when nursing him back to full health. He said at the time he was unsure if he would have remained in Melbourne had it not been for the man who used to wear the No.1 jersey.
“Four years ago, he was the Clive Churchill medallist – the best player in the biggest game of the year,” Slater says. “Then to have setback after setback … There would have been plenty of questions in his head about whether it was all worth it, and whether his make-up was for this game.
“Those questions do go through your head when you’re in those situations, not just the first time, but the second time, and the third time.
“For him to have that resilience and persistence and drive to still be at the top, it takes a whole heap of commitment to just get out there in this arena.
“This is a proud moment for anyone who has been involved with Ryan.”
Ryan Papenhuyzen during last season’s grand final.Credit: NRL Photos
Papenhuyzen has been with Mac since the start of the year, but only went public with their relationship a few months ago. Mac is a star in her own right with close to 900,000 TikTok followers.
“It puts a smile on my face how he just keeps powering through,” she says. “I’m always saying, ‘I’m so proud of you for even being here’. He could have easily given up. The power to keep going, I couldn’t have done it. He’s a great person inside and out. I’m just so proud of him.
“Everyone loves him because he’s such a great person.”
Papenhuyzen was dangerous in attack against the Roosters on Friday night, showing brilliant speed to split Angus Crichton and Luke Keary to score the first try, then his acceleration spread the Chooks’ defence to set up a try for Jahrome Hughes.
Had it been any other player than Dominic Young in hot pursuit, Papenhuyzen would have gone the length of the field to score a second try, but he passed to Jack Howarth to score.
Smith and Bellamy spoke about Papenhuyzen being the cool head in a spine that features Harry Grant, Hughes and Cameron Munster, who often like to go at “100 miles per hour with everything they do”, and how it’s often “attack, attack, attack” with that trio.
He’s just the sort of cult hero the Storm need, says Smith, a player the AFL-loving community could relate to.
“We’ve had a few along the way, including Billy, Matty King with his afro, before him ‘Lazo’ [Glenn Lazarus], the brick with eyes, even ‘Izzy’ [Israel Folau] and ‘GI’ [Greg Inglis],” Smith says.
“Whenever they touch the ball, the crowd rises to their feet. Paps does that. That’s why they enjoy coming here.”
Even with AFL fever gripping the Victorian capital, the locals still identified Papenhuyzen, even though he says half of them think he’s departing Western Bulldog Bailey Smith.
The 2020 decider is a blur for Papenhuyzen, but he’s very grateful to be back on the big stage. Whatever happens now, it’s one of the great comebacks.
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