Melbourne Storm star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen may have the ability to stick with the club into 2027, with the NRL revealing he has a mutual option in his deal.
Papenhuyzen's contract status was one followed closely in recent months, with the star fullback eventually putting pen to paper on an extension with the Victorian-based club for 2026.
It came after he spent the best part of the last two years out of the game injured, and with plenty of attention from rival clubs.
Despite having Sua Fa'alogo waiting in the wings to take over at the back in Melbourne, the club were desperate to retain Papenhuyzen, and managed to do so on a lower value deal than the one which he is currently on and will expire at the end of 2025.
That was all down to salary cap issues at the 2024 grand finalists, with plenty of other big-money deals throughout their squad for the likes of Harry Grant, Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster, Nelson Asofa-Solomona and others.
When Papenhuyzen re-signed some weeks ago, snubbing interest from rival clubs, the Storm confirmed he was locked in for 2026.
The NRL, however, in their official signing tracker, have now listed Papenhuyzen as having a mutual option for the 2027 campaign as well.
A mutual option means the player and club can both agree to extend the deal by a year under the same terms of the original length. Many mutual options are automatically enforced from the club's side if the player can play a set number of games in the campaign, although that is not currently known in Papenhuyzen's case.
The mutual option presents yet another headache for Fa'alogo, who has re-signed with the Storm long-term.
That contract though was believed to be signed with a handshake agreement that would let the youngster explore his options for 2026 if Papenhuyzen was re-signed beyond the end of 2025.
An option for 2027 will only likely add to the desire for Fa'alogo to exit the Victorian-based club and become a starting option elsewhere, something he has proven he is more than ready for during his limited game time for the Storm.
It's believed that Fa'alogo will have plenty of interest if he heads to the open market, with the Storm seemingly comfortable to have Papenhuyzen as their fullback moving forward, although the club have expressed their desire to retain both players.
That could mean Fa'alogo fights for a wing spot in 2025, although that in itself is a challenge given the performances of Xavier Coates and William Warbrick, as well as the signing of New Zealand rugby player Moses Leo.
