Storm provide injury update on Ryan Papenhuyzen

“I was a bit surprised earlier in the week on how well he was moving.”

WRITER | July 15, 2023 - 11:43am

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Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy has issued an update on injured star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen as he gets closer to returning to the field.

Papenhuyzen is yet to play this season after shattering his patella against the Canberra Raiders last season. Since then, his recovery has involved working with reconditioning expert Bill Knowles overseas.

After training with the first-grade team this week, Bellamy has provided an update on the star fullback's status. However, while he is training with the team, he hasn't started contact training, although the Storm are hopeful he can make his way back into the NRL after stints in reserve grade.

“This week has been a big step forward for him,” Bellamy said via NCA Newswire.

“It looks like he's moving OK. I was a bit surprised earlier in the week on how well he was moving. I didn't expect him to be moving like that.

“He has been doing some stuff on his own, but this is his first dabble with the team this week. Hopefully, he'll keep progressing like he has.

“I'm not quite sure when that'll be (a return to Queensland Cup), and we're not going to push it, but this week has been very promising in the progress that he's made.”