Ryan Papenhuyzen in horrific scenes as NRL world rallies around Storm defender after update

Melbourne Storm defender Ryan Papenhuyzen gave a sad update on his ankle injury after the hopeful Blues limped off in severe pain on Saturday night. NRL fans were left speechless after the Storm defender scored a try in a sensational first-half display for the Storm against the Titans with Papenhuyzen wants to defend his case for an Origin debut under new coach Michael Maguire.

Unfortunately, Papenhuyzen appeared clutching his ankle and in severe pain after taking a shot in the 38th minute. During the tackle, Papenhuyzen appeared to have his nails stuck in the ground, before twisting his right ankle making a brilliant one-on-one tackle.

Papenhuyzen was unable to walk and his teammates expressed concern for the defender, who had just played his eighth consecutive game after returning from a fractured right ankle. “Ryan Papenhuyzen is fine, I don’t know. It was not a good weekend for injuries,” said Andrew Voss in a Fox Sports commentary.

“Oh no,” James Graham could be heard saying in the comments. “It’s a shame, he was doing such a good thing for his team there.” Papenhuyzen left the field and walked down the tunnel with worried fans. Footage from the locker room showed Papenhuyzen unable to put weight on his right foot as he grimaced in pain. He was then seen on crutches and moon boots leaving the players’ locker room.

The Storm disbanded after the injury with the Titans returning. However, Craig Bellamy’s men held on 22-20 in Cameron Munster’s 200th game for the club. However, after the victory, Papenhuyzen took to social media to show that he was in good spirits.

Ryan Papenhuyzen reveals fracture after injury

Unfortunately, Papenhuyzen said he suffered a fracture above the plate, which was placed after his last ankle fracture. Papenhuyzen is expected to be sidelined for around six to eight weeks after another fracture in his right ankle.

Fans were absolutely devastated for the defender just after his eighth game back. Papenhuyzen has played just 11 games since 2022 after breaking his kneecap, which ruled him out for 13 months. Although he is expected to return again in 2024, Talks about making his Origin debut will now disappear as he looks for a return before round 20.

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The clash between Titans and Storm ends in a controversial bunker call

The Storm held on after the Titans finished with a flurry, with Melbourne replacement fullback Sua Fa’alogo also leaving with a leg injury in just his second NRL game. Starting on the wing, before moving to cover Papenhuyzen, Fa’alogo scored a stunning first-half try to announce his arrival in the NRL.

Unfortunately, after Papenhuyzen’s horrific injury, the game was marred in the final seconds of the clash with the bunker ruling, the Titans stripped the ball from Nick Meaney, which ended the contest and gave the Storm the victory. The call was controversial with former player turned commentator Graham hitting the bunker.

While fans were up in arms, Gold Coast coach Des Hasler remained calm in his post-match press conference and praised his team’s ability to react after a horrible start. “It was disappointing that we had some soft tries in the first half, but we showed a lot of character to fight back,” said coach Hasler.

“You’ll probably ask about the contentious calls. You get some and miss some. The ones you miss are always the hardest. We could talk for half a day about the strip at the end, but that doesn’t help.”