Ryan Papenhuyzen (born 10 June 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a fullback for the Melbourne Storm of the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia. He is a NRL premiership winning player of 2020.
Early life
Papenhuyzen was born in Sydney, Australia, and is of Dutch descent.[3]
He made his Melbourne debut while he was only 20 years old in round 4 of the 2019 NRL season against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.[7] He had his Melbourne jersey (cap number 194) presented to him by former Melbourne player Billy Slater.
Papenhuyzen had a breakout performance in round 9 against the Parramatta Eels at Suncorp Stadium, coming onto the field in the 50th minute, he scored a try, ran for 137 metres and had 3 line breaks, 2 line break assists and 2 try assists as Melbourne won 64–10.[8]
On 8 October, Papenhuyzen earned his first representative jersey as he was named in the Australian side for the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s. Later that day, he was named at fullback in the U23 Junior Kangaroos squad. Papenhuyzen scored 2 tries in the Junior Kangaroos’ 62–4 victory over France.[citation needed]
2020
In a Round 8 match against the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne were down 25-24 with 40 seconds remaining. Melbourne regathered from the kick-off and with time running out, Papenhuyzen kicked an equalising field goal, his first in the NRL.
Papenhuyzen was selected in the NSW Origin squad for the 2020 State of Origin series, but was withdrawn from selection for game one through injury.[10] He was not selected in the team for either game two or three.
2021
Papenhuyzen began the 2021 season at fullback and as designated goal kicker after the retirement of Cameron Smith. In Round 4, Melbourne defeated the Brisbane Broncos 40-6 with Papenhuyzen scoring four tries in 11 minutes. This equaled, what was at the time, the club record for the most scored in a single game. Papenhuyzen also kicked five goals in this game and with a combined points total of 26, he climbed into second place for the most points scored in a single game by a Melbourne Storm player. By the end of this round he was in first place on the league's list for most points scored. In Round 10 against St. George Illawarra, Papenhuyzen suffered a severe concussion after a high tackle from Tyrell Fuimaono in the 11th minute of the game, ruling him out of a place in NSW's State of Origin squad for 2021 and ruling him out for the majority of the season. Papenhuyzen returned to Melbourne's starting side in Round 19 against North Queensland, playing only 33 minutes from the interchange bench.
Papenhuyzen played a total of 15 games for Melbourne in the 2021 NRL season and scored 14 tries as the club won 19 matches in a row and claimed the Minor Premiership. Papenhuyzen scored 157 points for the season. He played in all three finals matches including the preliminary final where Melbourne suffered a shock 10-6 loss against eventual premiers Penrith.[11]
2022
In Round 4 of the 2022 NRL season, Papenhuyzen set a new career-high points in a game with 28 points against Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs, scoring four tries and six goals.[12]
In round 9 of the 2022 NRL season, Papenhuyzen was taken from the field during Melbourne's victory over St. George Illawarra. It was later announced that Papenhuyzen would miss four to six matches with a hamstring and knee injury.[13]In round 16, Papenhuyzen made his return to the Melbourne side and scored two tries in a 36–30 loss against Manly.[14]
In round 18, Papenhuyzen was taken from the field in Melbourne's 20-16 loss against Canberra with a suspected fractured kneecap.[15]
On 19 July, it was confirmed that Papenhuyzen would miss the remainder of the 2022 NRL season.[16]
Papenhuyzen missed the first twenty two rounds of the 2023 NRL season due to a shattered kneecap, returning on August 5 to play for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Queensland cup.[19] Papenhuyzen returned to first grade in round 26 of the 2023 NRL Season and scored his first try of the season in round 27. Papenhuyzen suffered a season ending fracture to his ankle while he was tackling the Brisbane Broncos Tom Flegler, he was caught in the tackle with fellow teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona in Melbourne's 26-0 loss to Brisbane in week one of the finals.[20] Due to it being his second severe leg injury, many fans believed his career was over, however in the aftermath it was revealed that Papenhuyzen was expected to be cleared to play by the commencement of the following season.[21]
2024
Papanhuyzen returned to the side in round 1, in which Melbourne defeated the Penrith Panthers 8-0. The side would go on to win all but one of their first 8 matches, leaving them in first place on the ladder. In their round 9 22-20 victory against the Gold Coast Titans, Papenhuyzen began limping after a routine tackle, which resulted in him leaving the field. It was revealed the following day that Papenhuyzen had suffered a small fracture in his surgically repaired leg, which would leave him sidelined for four to six weeks.[22]
Papenhuyzen played a total of 20 matches for Melbourne in the 2024 NRL season including their grand final loss to Penrith.[23]
