Ryan Papenhuyzen robbed of State of Origin debut after ‘ridiculous’ feat

Ryan Papenhuyzen has revealed his unforgettable diving effort during the NRL Grand Final cost him an State of Origin debut.

Ryan Papenhuyzen’s moment of Grand Final magic.

Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen has revealed his unforgettable diving effort during Sunday evening’s NRL Grand Final cost him a State of Origin debut.

The Panthers were trailing 26-6 in the 66th minute when Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary looked to gain as much ground as possible with a kick into touch.

Unfortunately, Cleary bit off more than he could chew.

Papenhuyzen showed incredible alertness to sprint across the turf and launch himself over the sideline, before tapping the ball back into play.

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The 22-year-old left the Channel 9 commentary team in disbelief, and social media inevitably went berserk.

“He was halfway up Parramatta Road,” veteran broadcaster Phil Gould said.

“Look how far outside the field of play he gets here. He doesn’t give up on it.”

Herald Sun reporter Nick Smart tweeted: “That is … ridiculous from Papenhuyzen.”

Although Papenhuyzen denied the Panthers a try-scoring opportunity, the diving effort has robbed the young gun of a spot in the New South Wales Blues squad.

Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm.

The fullback injured his calf while performing the leap, and was therefore not named in Brad Fittler’s side for Wednesday evening’s series opener in Adelaide.

“It was when I jumped out to hit that ball back in because I remember everything after that hurt and it didn’t feel right … I remember running not long after and thinking, ‘This isn’t normal’,” Papenhuyzen said.

“I always think I’m a chance, so I just threw myself at it and luckily enough it bounced just on its side, I reckon if it bounced a bit different it probably would have been out.

“If someone’s kicking for touch, you’ll always see me look and then let go and see if I can make it or not. It probably helped that I was a little bit out of position to be honest, because I sort of was running that way and picked up momentum and knocked it back in.”

The calf injury that will keep Ryan Papenhuyzen out of Origin 1 was suffered/aggravated during his miraculous leap to keep the ball in during the #NRLGF
Thankfully likely a grade 1 strain, usually allows a return within 1-3 weeks. Good chance to be available for Game 2 pic.twitter.com/Ush3oNaCYx

— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) October 29, 2020

Although he conceded it was disappointing to miss out on an Origin debut, Papenhuyzen acknowledged there was a silver lining.

“It is what it is. If I don’t do that, do we win a grand final? I just think of it like that,” Papenhuyzen said.

“Everything happens for a reason, it’s probably my body telling me I need a little bit of a rest.

“I’ve always said I wanted to win a premiership, it’s just that hunger. You don’t really choose to do it, it just happens, it just kicks in.

“If it means I miss an Origin, then it is what it is. There’s so many good guys in this squad, so I’ve just got to keep playing good footy and give myself a chance to make it again or play game two or three.”

Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm poses with the Clive Churchill Medal.

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Papenhuyzen was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal on Sunday evening, having mustered a game-high 204 run metres and a breakaway try early in the second half.

Despite the stellar performance, Papenhuyzen did not anticipate his name would be read out at the post-match ceremony.

“I was a little bit rattled, I wasn’t really expecting it,” he admitted.

“(Cameron) Smith and Nelson (Asofa-Solomona) were really good the whole game, I just thought I did my job. I was just a little bit surprised and taken back by it all.

“Once I got up there, it sort of hit me a little bit but it’s just a massive moment, you don’t get to do this too often. I don’t think it’s still (sunk in), because it all just happened in the moment. I’ll get to reflect on that once everything is over.”

The New South Wales Blues will take on the Queensland Maroons on Wednesday afternoon for game one of the 2020 State of Origin series.

— with James McKern