Ryan Papenhuyzen came through his first contact session unscathed during the week as Storm coach Craig Bellamy explained why he did not want to give his star No.1 the remainder of the season off to recover from a horror knee injury that has now sidelined him for a year.
Papenhuyzen fractured his kneecap against Canberra in round 18 last year. After a hit-and-run trip to see reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles in the US – then a few setbacks on the road to recovery – the 25-year-old is starting to move like his old self again.
Papenhuyzen ran at fullback during an opposed session against the NRL side on Friday on the Central Coast.
Bellamy conceded it was only three weeks ago he had privately given up on Papenhuyzen playing any football this year, but his opinion had since changed.
There are only six regular-season games remaining for the Storm and Papenhuyzen will require at least two or three weeks in the Queensland Cup to be any chance of a late NRL cameo.
Even then, Papenhuyzen would do well to replace Nick Meaney, who has been in great form, at fullback. Papenhuyzen could potentially be utilised off the bench to run at the tiring middle men, which was how he was utilised when starting out in the top flight.
Ryan Papenhuyzen survived his first contact sessions in a year this week.Credit: Melbourne Storm
The easiest option would be to not risk Papenhuyzen at all this late in the campaign and give him more time to be ready for the start of the 2024 season, but Bellamy did not want to contemplate that.
For starters, the club is thinking of Papenhuyzen’s wellbeing and want him striving to play football in the coming months, rather than wait until next March.
“We’re not going to do that, and he’ll play some Queensland Cup games, without a doubt,” Bellamy said. “How much match practice he’ll need at that lower level, I’m not quite sure. There’s no way he would come straight back into the NRL after how long he’s had out.
“From what I had seen a few weeks ago, what he was doing and what he wasn’t doing, I couldn’t see that [return] happening.
Ryan Papenhuyzen stretches out while in the Storm’s camp on the Central Coast.Credit: Melbourne Storm
“But the last 10 days, it’s been a rapid improvement. Maybe it was a confidence thing. I don’t know whether it’s been physical or mental or both ... he’ll build on that contact. He’s definitely on the right track. He did some contact earlier this week for the first time.”
Papenhuyzen resumed full training last week without contact, and added the big hits this week while in camp on the Central Coast.
Meanwhile, the Storm have been impressed with Tariq Sims, who was due to come off the bench against one of his former clubs, Newcastle, on Saturday night.
Sims only signed the one-year deal, but the Storm have a strong appetite to retain the former Origin forward who turns 34 early next year.
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