Storm provides major Papenhuyzen update

The star fullback has been out for more than a year after he suffered a shocking knee injury against Canberra last season that forced him overseas to try to get his body right.

There were fears Papenhuyzen would miss all of 2023, but he’s posted positive updates on social media in recent weeks and could be the trump card the club plays heading into the finals.

“He’s getting close to playing again,” Bellamy said, with the club aiming for Papenhuyzen to ease his way back in through reserve grade.

“(A few weeks ago) I wasn’t overly confident of him even playing again this year, but he’s come a long way in the last two or three weeks.

“Hopefully, it won’t be too long before he puts the boots back on.”

Just when that is remains a mystery, with Bellamy unable to provide an exact timeline on when Papenhuyzen will get the green light to play.

“It’s a bit about how he goes and how he feels – not only how he feels with the knee but how he feels going out there again after such a long time off and being confident with the contact part of the game,” he said.

“That’ll probably be the last thing that gets ticked off.”

Papenhuyzen will likely be in the stands again on Friday night as the club welcomes back former players and administrators to celebrate an incredible 25 years that includes a number of premiership wins despite doubts over whether they would succeed in Victoria.

Bellamy hopes his players won’t get overexcited for the occasion, but it could be just what they need after a disappointing loss in Newcastle last week that has put their place in the top four at risk.

The Storm led 12-0 early but crumbled on the road to drop two crucial competition points.

“There were some bad signs,” Bellamy said on Thursday, hopeful his troops would respond at home against Parramatta.

“We pride ourselves on being consistent each week. We don’t have to win each week and we know that we’re not going to be 100 per cent each week, but we need to put the effort in each week and we were a fair way away from that last week.”

The Storm coach savaged his players after the game, and star five-eighth Cameron Munster said the criticism was justified.

“I have been at the club a long time and I can’t remember the last time we’ve been beaten in effort areas so many times,” Munster said.

“The things that we lacked on the weekend weren’t skill based. They were pretty much attitude driven – making your tackles and wanting to compete for everything – and they just competed harder than us on Saturday, which was pretty disappointing.

“We can cop a loss if they are better on the day, but when teams are beating you in effort areas … that’s where he (Bellamy) can’t cop it and rightly so.”

Originally published as ‘He’s getting close to playing again’: Ryan Papenhuyzen could be back for the Storm in time for the finals