Positive Ryan Papenhuyzen update as Storm vow to unleash ‘weapons’ in new-look backline

Storm skipper Christian Welch says superstar teammate Ryan Papenhuyzen is “starting to flourish” in training after suffering another sickening season-ending and firming for a Round 1 return to potentially play alongside boom rookie Sua Fa’alogo.

Papenhuyzen was out for more than 12 months after shattering his kneecap against the Raiders in 2022, with his Queensland Cup return one of the feel good stories of 2023 before he made his NRL comeback just in time for the finals.

The 25-year-old was seen as a potential x-factor who could be a difference maker for Melbourne, but those plans were cruelly cut short against Brisbane when he suffered a gruesome ankle injury that had some fearing about his NRL future.

“It’s been a tough couple of years for him and I can really empathise with those long-term injuries because I’ve had a few myself,” said Welch, who has suffered serious ACL and Achilles injuries.

“He’s had a really good attitude.

“I think the biggest thing when you have those injuries is that you can sometimes feel a bit isolated.

“The team plays for 27 weeks and if you’re not a part of it, it’s easy to feel a bit left out, but he’s made it a real focus to stay involved and try to help the boys however he could.

“While he wasn’t on the field, he was doing video and strategy preparation for the team to try to help which was really beneficial for us. He’s a deep thinker and very reflective, and those skills that he has have held him in good stead when the times have been tough.

“We’re starting to see him emerge from those tough times and he’s now starting to flourish.”

Papenhuyzen looked in incredible shape during a session in the searing Melbourne heat last Friday, while he’s also ticked plenty of boxes during the club’s pre-season camp in Geelong.

A round one return against Penrith isn’t out of the question, but the club may choose to be cautious given the electrifying fullback is one of the most important weapons they have as we saw in 2020 when he won the Clive Churchill Medal.

“We didn’t see too much of him pre-Christmas, but he’s come back (and looked great). Today (Monday) he was jumping in drills and he looks electric,” Welch said.

“Speed kills in the NRL and he’s got it in spades. It’s really exciting for us as a squad to have him coming back on top of Sua Fa’alogo’s emergence as well.

“There’s plenty of speed which is really exciting except for when you’re trying to chase them down in training drills. It’s nice when you look up out of a scrum and you see these guys causing a bit of chaos.”

As for Fa’alogo, he continues to get better and shapes as the obvious replacement at fullback if Papenhuyzen is unavailable.

The young gun scored two stunning tries on debut last year and was one of the best players on the field for Samoa in their game against Australia.

Storm coach Craig Bellamy has to find a way to fit all his stars into the squad, with Fa’alogo likely to come off the bench and wreak havoc through the middle just as Papenhuyzen did when he started at the Storm.

“It’s exciting to have some of these weapons,” Welch said, with Nick Meaney set to replace Justin Olam at left centre.

“Craig gets paid a lot so he’s got some tough decisions to figure out how this is all going to work because I’m not sure how you fit them all in, but you’ve got to have these guys playing every week in the NRL in terms of Sua, Paps and Nick Meaney.

“I’m not sure how they’re going to juggle the backline and the bench, but it’s really exciting to have those weapons at your disposal.

“Sua has had a great pre-season and looks as fast as ever so it’s good competition for those spots in the outside backs.

“We’ve got Xavier Coates and Will Warbrick who both had great years.

“Will played for New Zealand A, and Xavier took out our player of the year award so it’s not just the fullbacks fighting for spots, there’s a really competitive nature for all the spots in the outside backs.”