Melbourne Storm’s beloved figure, Ryan Papenhuyzen, has purportedly been discreetly offered to a rival NRL club following a string of unfortunate injuries.
According to reports from The Sydney Morning Herald, an intermediary reached out to an undisclosed club to assess their interest in recruiting Papenhuyzen.
Nevertheless, Melbourne’s general manager, Frank Ponissi, appears to have rejected this notion, as Papenhuyzen is under contract with the Storm until the conclusion of the 2025 season. Despite these discussions, Papenhuyzen, known as one of the NRL’s most marketable players, seemingly remained unperturbed.
With rookie Storm fullback Sualauvi Faalogo making a remarkable impact on the NRL, a potential move for Papenhuyzen might be in the offing. Papenhuyzen has been plagued by injuries over the past few years, with a second significant injury occurring during the NRL finals against the Brisbane Broncos in September.
The electrifying back was in the process of returning from a devastating kneecap injury sustained in the middle of the 2022 season when disaster struck during the finals’ first week.
In the 73rd minute, while attempting a tackle, his leg got trapped under teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona, resulting in considerable pain for the 25-year-old.
Although initial concerns suggested a compound fracture, the same injury that ended the career of former representative star Jharal Yow Yeh, it was later revealed that Papenhuyzen had dislocated his ankle, broken his fibula, ruptured his deltoid, and ruptured his syndesmosis. This diagnosis, while unfortunate, was considered a more favorable outcome than initially feared, as the injury did not break through the skin.
During a discussion on the Ausmerican Aces podcast, Papenhuyzen disclosed the extent of his injuries and expressed relief that it was not a compound fracture. However, he is still facing a challenging journey to recover from this setback.
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