NRL 2021: Inside Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen’s concussion nightmare

Ryan Papenhuyzen has revealed his scary battle to control his emotions after being concussed on the field eight weeks ago, in a terrifying insight to brain trauma.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 16: Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm celebrates after scoring a try during the round six NRL match between the Melbourne Storm and the Sydney Roosters at AAMI Park on April 16, 2021, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

It was the people closest to Ryan Papenhuyzen who noticed the change first.

Try to speak to the Melbourne star and he’d be irritable. Short-tempered, even. Certainly not himself.

He’d be fine in the morning, then absolutely drained after a training session he’d normally breeze through. The colour was missing from his face.

“That’s the scariest and most frustrating part of it all,” Papenhuyzen said.

“No matter how rude I was being to people it felt like I couldn’t sort of control it.”

It’s why the Storm have been so careful with their fullback and why it’s taken until now, almost eight weeks after he was smacked round the chops by Dragons forward Tyrell Fuimaono at Magic Round and suffered a concussion, for him to return to full training.

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Ryan Papenhuyzen lies flat on the ground after copping a high hit. Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

With the club aiming for the Round 17 match against Newcastle for Papenhuyzen’s comeback the 23-year old has revealed the trials and tribulations of his recovery from a head knock that’s changed the way this NRL star thinks about concussion.

What’s hampered Papenhuyzen’s comeback is the fluid nature of concussions – many times since that fateful day in May he would feel like he was making progress, only to take two steps back after he first thought he was moving one step forward.

“There was a fair chunk of time where I lost a lot of strength and that probably didn’t help with my neck. In terms of headaches and things like that, early on when I was feeling concussion symptoms and things like that I wasn’t feeling myself,” Papenhuyzen said.

“All of my focus was on me trying to get better and especially the one’s closest to me, it was really hard on them. I put all this fake energy into making it seem like I was OK, or being able to have a conversation but when I got home I had no energy to speak to anyone.

“I couldn’t chat to my partner, or my friends and family who were really concerned.

“That part was scary, and they were worried, the whole time I needed my own space and I felt like I needed to be on my own to do that. I’m grateful they stuck around, I was going through a tough period. It was frustrating and scary.”

Doctors keep Ryan Papenhuyzen’s neck steady after the hit. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Things changed for Papenhuyzen when those around him including his partner, professional netballer Kelsey Browne, noticed he was becoming closer to his old self again.

He’s embarked on a vigorous program to strengthen the muscles in his neck, given whiplash from Fuimaono’s tackle contributed to the concussion in the first place.

“The turning point was when I was able to do that (talk to people) again. The headaches were still there, which was a little bit annoying, but I did a lot of neck work, doing heaps of strength around that area and building up more strength in my shoulders,” Papenhuyzen said.

“It took until three or four weeks after, speaking to my partner or some of the coaches or players, they noticed I was a bit brighter in the face and I was able to have a good conversation and not get really tired afterwards.

“I think they started to notice and when they relayed it back to me I noticed it in myself.

“The next step was being able to train and keep that demeanour. That was the next step where I got frustrated, I’d have a good training session and be ruined for the afternoon, I’d go back into those symptoms.

“I wasn’t quite ready and we had to go back to stage one. From there I’ve been able to tolerate more as the weeks went on until I was back at full training.”

Managing the recovery has been a tough process for Papenhuyzen - he went so far as to release a statement through his Instagram to educate fans and explain how different this was to any other injury.

“You hear about a head knock and you think there’s a compulsory week and you’re into the protocols, people expect that.

“I put that out there to show my concussion symptoms had gone on for longer and I’m sure there were other players who had a similar sort of thing. I wanted to show how fluid the situation can be.

“With a shoulder injury or a knee injury, you have six or seven weeks and you can set a goal. With this I would try and see if I could do something and if I couldn’t do it that would set me back a week and there was no real timeline.”

Papenhuyzen doesn’t hold any regrets, or any animosity towards Fuimaono and he still intends to play the same way. He says he’s accepted that injuries, including concussions, are part of playing in the NRL.

Ryan Papenhuyzen is set to make his return to the field. Picture: NRL Photos

But he also understands what the league are trying to achieve with their crackdown on contact to the head, which began the same weekend Papenhuyzen was laid out.

“You play the game knowing that’s a risk and it might happen, but I see what they’re trying to do,” Papenhuyzen said.

“I get it’s not a great look for the game to have things like what happened to me at Magic Round, it’s not a good look for the game and it makes it hard to grow the game. But it’s a fine line.

“Peter V’landy’s has gone hard with it and you need to go hard to get the attention of the playing group and I think it’s done that.

With Melbourne top of the ladder and Nicho Hynes starring at fullback, the Storm have been able to take it easy with Papenhuyzen ’s return.

The Storm star has also educated himself on the nature of concussions as much as possible during his lay-off and now has a far deeper understanding of the ailment.

“I’m not under the illusion you’ll cop a head knock and you’ll be fine. But I’m more of the opinion you can recover, you just have to try everything and find what works for you and helps you recover,” Papenhuyzen said.

“Rest might work for someone else, for me I had to keep the blood flow going.

“It’s been really interesting, it’s opened my eyes to it all. It’s not something you want to get but it’s definitely something I’ve learned about, I feel a lot more positive about coming back.”

Originally published as NRL 2021: Inside Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen’s concussion nightmare