Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen signs new contract

Work harder, be smarter, be confident – this was the advice from Melbourne legend Bily Slater that helped convince Ryan Papenhuyzen to commit to the Storm until 2022.

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Melbourne Storm speedster Ryan Papenhuyzen says a chat with retired NRL legend Billy Slater only confirmed his decision to re-sign with the club until 2022.

Papenhuyzen exploded onto the NRL stage last year, in a burst role off the bench at first and then as starting fullback.

The 21 year-old’s breakout rookie season was rewarded with Australian Nines and under-23 representative honours.

But Papenhuyzen is determined to go to another level after finalising his contract extension.

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Ryan Papenhuyzen has his eyes focused on the future. Photo: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

“I stripped it back to the fact that I wanted to be the player I wanted to be and I feel like I’m going to get that here at the Storm,” Papenhuyzen said.

“I’m only just starting to lay the foundations now … and the group we’ve got here are going to help me get better as a player.”

Having made the decision to re-sign, Papenhuyzen met with Slater to bounce ideas off the Storm legend and part-time skills coach.

“He said, ‘If you work hard you’re going to have your spot in the side’ and that resonated with me because it’s not hard to work hard, you’ve got to have that attitude,” Papenhuyzen said.

“Billy said you have to keep laying those foundations … do a bit more video, be a smarter footy player and be confident in bringing your ideas to the team.

“What I took away from Billy was ‘don’t get comfortable’. You have to stay ahead of the game as it catches up with you pretty quickly.”

Papenhuyzen knows how to score a try. Photo: AAP Image/Scott Barbour

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Papenhuyzen scored nine tries in 22 appearances last year, running just shy of 3000 metres despite only starting in nine matches.

Competition for spots will again motivate the Sydneysider, who has gone from the hunter to the hunted inside 12 months.

“You can never get complacent with your spot in the side so got to keep working (hard) and you can’t settle down for a little bit because there’s always someone nipping at your heels,” he said.

Nicho Hynes could be that someone this year, or former Storm halfback Ryley Jacks, who is on a trial at the club after spending last season at Gold Coast Titans.

“I just keep backing myself that I am going to keep training the house down, or trying to, and everything else will come off the back of that,” Papenhuyzen said.

“They’re just going to have to work harder than me.”

Originally published as Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen signs new contract