NRL 2023: Ryan Papenhuyzen opens up on injury, return date, Tom Trbojevic

Melbourne star Ryan Papenhuyzen has some advice for Manly fans on what to expect from Tom Trbojevic after his stint with renowned specialist Bill Knowles.

Melbourne Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen is no closer to knowing when he will be back on the park, but declared his two-and-a-half week stint in the US as the “best thing I’ve done in my career”.

Papenhuyzen reunited with his Storm teammates this week after becoming the second high-profile NRL player to work with reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles.

He relearnt how to walk and adjust his running technique as he makes his return from a shattered knee cap last July.

His path crossed briefly with Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic who was just starting his stint with Knowles in Philadelphia as Papenhuyzen’s time came to an end.

It followed the success of Latrell Mitchell who travelled to the US mid-season last year before returning to set the competition alight.

Melbourne star Ryan Papenhuyzen has recently returned from the United States, where he spent time with renowned trainer Bill Knowles as he continues his comeback from a broken patella. Credit: Supplied.

LIFTING THE LID

The question most people ask is why? What makes Knowles so different that clubs are willing to spend about $50,000 to fly their stars halfway around the globe instead of working with them in Australia?

Papenhuyzen and Knowles started with four consecutive days working out and one rest day. They followed that up with five days on and two off before two more days on.

“He is very passionate about what he does,” Papenhuyzen said. “All together we did about 40 hours of one-on-one sessions. To fit that into two weeks is hard to get in Australia.

With his reputation and the athletes he has worked with you trust him from the get go. He is a lateral thinker, very energetic.

“If you ever get bored, he would identify that before you’d have to say anything. Sometimes you’re in the rehab grind and you don’t feel like you’re going anywhere.”

Most sessions started in the Cabrini University pool and some simple running mechanics which would help with the afternoon session. The gym of Major League Soccer team – Philadelphia Union – is where Knowles is based.

“The first part of the week was learning different movements,” Papenhuyzen said. “After the first few days we’d ramp it up doing different movement patterns that would ask different questions of the knee and tie all the movements together.”

Melbourne star Ryan Papenhuyzen has recently returned from the United States, where he spent time with renowned trainer Bill Knowles as he continues his comeback from a broken patella. Credit: Supplied.

NOT RUNNING

Knowles had watched Papenhuyzen’s highlights so he knew his game was based on explosiveness.

One of the first things Knowles presented the 24-year-old was with a white board.

“He wanted me to write down when I wanted to be back,” Papenhuyzen said. “I’d been pretty strong in saying I wasn’t sure but I thought round one. He rubbed out all the dates and said ‘that’s what date we are coming back – you’ll know when you’re ready’.”

Papenhuyzen has conceded he is next to no chance of being fit for Melbourne’s round one clash against the Eels.

“He said that generally a low hanging fruit from coming back after an injury like mine is running,” Papenhuyzen said. “That resonated with me. I still can’t run.

“That’s not what we should be looking at. I should be focused on smaller goals and ones that aren’t seen as important. It’s cool to get my head around that.

“When I decide to run I’ll be able to change angles and run at full speed. A lot of what we did was about spreading the load on my body. A lot of injuries I had was because I would favour a certain side. I need to shy away from bouncing off one side. “

The next six weeks should dictate his return to the field. Papenhuyzen will stay in close contact with Knowles during that period.

“You can come back from these injuries and you can play but you want to be confident and that might take longer,” Papenhuyzen said.

“I am prepared not to have a target in mind. I knew I’d come back but I didn’t know how I’d come back.

“He reassured me to take this opportunity to be better than I was.”

Melbourne star Ryan Papenhuyzen has recently returned from the United States, where he spent time with renowned trainer Bill Knowles as he continues his comeback from a broken patella. Credit: Supplied.

STAR POWER

Papenhuyzen trained alongside San Francisco 48ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. Moseley earns about US$9.3million a year and is on the comeback from a ruptured knee. Papenhuyzen also used his time to catch up with Australian NBA stars Patty Mills and Josh Giddey.

He was with Trbojevic briefly but Papenhuyzen has a word of hope for Manly fans.

“I saw him trying to hula-hoop,” Papenhuyzen said. “We didn’t train together as I was just finishing when he started. He will thrive over there.

“I’d be pretty happy if I was a Manly fan after my experience. He is going to get a lot out of it.”

WATCH: TOMMY TURBO’S WHIRLWIND WEEK IN THE US

It hasn’t been all gym work, pool sessions and injury rehab in Tom Trbojevic’s mercy dash to the US.

The Manly Sea Eagles star was a guest of NHL side the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday and took to the ice to beat the drum as part of their traditional pre-game routine.

Trbojevic has taken advantage of his time in the sports-mad city, also checking out the multimillion-dollar training facilities of NFL side the Eagles as they continue their run deep into the playoffs.

Despite the freezing conditions, it’s proven a welcome side bonus for Trbojevic, as his trip to America’s east coast will have a major impact on the Sea Eagles’ hopes for the 2023 NRL season.

Manly Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic at the practice facility of NFL franchise the Philadelphia Eagles.

The fullback has been working with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles to try and overcome recurring hamstring issues that have plagued his career.

The Sea Eagles hope the special treatment will have Trbojevic fit for their NRL round-one clash against Canterbury on March 4.

Trbojevic has been joined by Sea Eagles physio Andrew Lowndes and a cameraman to document what is becoming a familiar journey for high-profile NRL stars. Latrell Mitchell and more recently Ryan Papenhuyzen, sought out Knowles’ expertise to overcome their injuries.

“What I’ve learnt about myself, about areas I can improve on, honestly excites me,” Trbojevic said.

“Cause I know I can work really hard on getting them right and that's going to give me confidence when I come back.”

Manly Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic beats the drum during the pregame show at the Philadelphia Flyers' NHL game.

In his first week at Knowles’ complex, Trbojevic met up with San Francisco 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, who is working his way through recovery from a season-ending ACL injury he suffered in October.

Coincidentally, the 49ers will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC conference championships next week after beating the Dallas Cowboys 19-12 on Monday.

Trbojevic and Lowndes visited the Eagles’ practice facility before their crushing 38-7 playoff win over the New York Giants.

While there, Trbojevic caught up with the Eagles’ Australian defensive end, Matthew Leo.

Manly Sea Eagles fullback Tom Trbojevic and Australian NFL lineman Matthew Leo, who is on the practice squad of the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 30-year-old South Australian is yet to make his NFL debut, having been assigned to Philadelphia’s practice squad for the past three seasons after making an impression as part of the International Player Pathway Program.

While the Manly Sea Eagles have a new centre of excellence on the way, the NFL’s Eagles training set-up is next level. It includes a weight room training centre, hydrotherapy pools, sauna and steam rooms, three outdoor practice fields and a fabric-covered rigid frame structure that houses a 70-yard indoor practice field, which comes in handy when temperatures in January plunge below zero degrees.