‘Big milestone’: Storm superstar is back

Papenhuyzen hasn’t played since he shattered his kneecap in one of the most gruesome injuries of 2022 when he tried to make a tackle on Canberra’s Jack Wighton.

The 25-year-old speedster had racked up a whopping 14 tries and 139 points in just 12 appearances last year before the injury cruelly ended his season, but that was just the beginning of the journey for Papenhuyzen who has spent time in America with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles to get his body right.

It’s been a slow process for the Storm star who has provided regular updates on social media despite whispers he was no chance of getting back on the field.

But after a power of work the premiership-winning Storm fullback has finally been given the green light to make his return to the field for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup on Saturday.

Just weeks out from the NRL finals, he’ll ease his way back for the Falcons against the Jets to get some match fitness under his belt heading into the post-season.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet so I’m sort of just going through the training week and trying to prepare like it’s a normal game,” Papenhuyzen said.

“It’s just been a while between drinks. It’s had its ups and downs and setbacks, and it’s probably taken a little bit longer than expected but at the same time I’m happy I did that.

“It’s been long enough now that I feel ready, and I guess that’s the main thing about long-term rehab is that resistance to being ready.

“There are so many people to thank, and I’ll probably save that for another day, but I think it’s a big milestone and I need to celebrate the small wins along the way, and this is another one of them.

“It’s a big step to be back after such a significant injury. I want to be playing NRL, so I have a little bit to go to achieve the goals I want – I’ve just got to keep doing the work.”

The Storm are currently in fourth spot and this could be the shot of confidence they need to secure a double chance in the finals after they left themselves vulnerable last year and were knocked out in the first week by Canberra.

“It’s been a long time since he’s played football, so it was really important for us to ensure we left no stone unturned in his recovery,” Storm general manager of football Frank Ponissi said.

“He’s been on quite the journey since the initial injury and then after suffering a setback earlier this year, but to his credit he has shown a lot of resilience and determination to get to this point and we’re really proud of that.

“It’s a testament to ‘Paps’ and the team of medical and football staff behind him that has got him back on the field.”

Originally published as Ryan Papenhuyzen will return via Melbourne Storm’s feeder team