Ryan Papenhuyzen facts for kids
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Personal information
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| Born | 10 June 1998 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 80 kg (12 st 8 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Playing information
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| Position | Fullback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 29 June 2025
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Ryan Papenhuyzen, born on June 10, 1998, is an Australian professional rugby league player. He plays as a fullback for the Melbourne Storm team in the National Rugby League (NRL).
Ryan helped the Melbourne Storm win the 2020 NRL Grand Final. He even won the Clive Churchill Medal for being the best player in that game! He also played in the 2024 NRL Grand Final. In 2019, he played for the Australian team that won the first-ever Rugby League 9s tournament.
Ryan's Early Life
Ryan was born in Sydney, Australia. His family has roots in the Netherlands.
He grew up in Kellyville, New South Wales. Ryan went to Oakhill College in Castle Hill. There, he played rugby union for three years. He also played rugby league for the Australian Schoolboys in 2015. After high school, he studied Physical Activity, Health and Exercise Science at Australian Catholic University.
Ryan played touch football when he was younger. He also played junior rugby league for teams like Kellyville Bushrangers and Hills District Bulls. Later, he was signed by the Balmain Tigers.
Ryan's Rugby League Career
Starting His Career
Ryan played junior rugby league for Balmain in the S. G. Ball Cup. He also played for the Wests Tigers' Under-20s team. He later joined the Melbourne team. The Wests Tigers let him go because they wanted to re-sign another player, James Tedesco.
At Melbourne, Ryan played for their Under-20s team. He also played for their feeder team, the Sunshine Coast Falcons, in 2018. His strong performances helped him get picked for the New South Wales Under-20s State of Origin team.
2019 Season Highlights
Ryan made his first-team debut for Melbourne when he was 20 years old. This was in Round 4 of the 2019 NRL season. He played against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Former Melbourne player Billy Slater presented him with his Melbourne jersey.
Ryan had a fantastic game in Round 9 against the Parramatta Eels. He came onto the field in the 50th minute. He scored a try and ran for 137 metres. He also helped set up two tries. Melbourne won that game 64–10.
In October, Ryan was chosen to play for Australia. He joined the team for the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s. He was also named fullback for the Under-23s Junior Kangaroos team. Ryan scored two tries when the Junior Kangaroos beat France 62–4.
2020 Season: Grand Final Win
In a Round 8 game against the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne was losing 25-24. There were only 40 seconds left. Ryan kicked a field goal to tie the game. This was his first field goal in the NRL.
In the 2020 NRL Grand Final, Melbourne won 26–20. Ryan was named the best player in the game. He won the Clive Churchill Medal for his amazing performance.
Ryan was chosen for the NSW Origin squad in 2020. However, he had to withdraw from the first game due to an injury. He was not selected for games two or three.
2021 Season: Record Breaking
Ryan started the 2021 season as the main fullback. He also became the team's goal kicker after Cameron Smith retired. In Round 4, Melbourne beat the Brisbane Broncos 40-6. Ryan scored four tries in just 11 minutes! This tied the club record for most tries in a single game. He also kicked five goals, scoring 26 points in total. This put him in second place for most points scored by a Melbourne Storm player in one game.
In Round 10, Ryan suffered a serious concussion. This happened after a high tackle from Tyrell Fuimaono. The injury meant he could not play for NSW in the 2021 State of Origin. He also missed most of the season. Ryan returned to play in Round 19 against North Queensland.
Ryan played 15 games for Melbourne in the 2021 NRL season. He scored 14 tries. The team won 19 games in a row and finished first in the league. Ryan scored 157 points that season. He played in all three finals matches. Melbourne lost to Penrith in the preliminary final.
2022 Season: Injuries and Golf
In Round 4 of the 2022 NRL season, Ryan scored a career-high 28 points. He scored four tries and kicked six goals against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
In Round 9, Ryan left the field during a game against St. George Illawarra. He had a hamstring and knee injury. This meant he would miss four to six matches. He returned in Round 16 and scored two tries. However, Melbourne lost to Manly 36–30.
In Round 18, Ryan was injured again. He left the field during a loss to the Canberra Raiders. It was thought he had fractured his kneecap. On July 19, it was confirmed he would miss the rest of the 2022 NRL season.
While recovering, Ryan won the 2022 Australian Open golf pro-am. This was held at the Victoria Golf Club.
2023 Season: Tough Comeback
Ryan missed the first 22 rounds of the 2023 NRL season. This was due to his kneecap injury. He returned on August 5 to play for the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Ryan played his first NRL game back in Round 26. He scored his first try of the season in Round 27.
Sadly, Ryan suffered another serious injury. He fractured his ankle while tackling a player from the Brisbane Broncos. This happened in Melbourne's 26-0 loss in the finals. Many fans worried his career might be over. However, doctors said he was expected to be ready to play by the next season.
2024 Season: More Challenges
Ryan returned to play in Round 1 of the 2024 season. Melbourne beat the Penrith Panthers 8-0. The team won most of their first eight games. In Round 9, Ryan started limping after a tackle. He had to leave the field. The next day, it was revealed he had a small fracture in his leg. This meant he would miss four to six weeks.
Ryan played 20 matches for Melbourne in the 2024 NRL season. This included their Grand Final loss to Penrith. In December, the Storm announced Ryan had signed a new contract. He will stay with the club until the end of 2026.
2025 Season: Strong Start
In Round 10 of the 2025 NRL season, Ryan had an amazing game. He scored four tries in Melbourne's 64-0 victory over the Wests Tigers.
Ryan's Achievements
Melbourne Storm
- NRL premiership: 2020
- NRL minor premiership: 2019, 2021, 2024
Individual Awards
- Clive Churchill Medal: 2020
- Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year: 2019
- Melbourne Storm Back of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022
Career Statistics
Club Games
| † | Denotes seasons in which Papenhuyzen won an NRL Premiership |
| Season | Team | Matches | T | G | GK % | F/G | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Melbourne |
22 | 9 | 2 | 66.67% | 0 | 40 |
| 2020† | 20 | 11 | 4 | 44.44% | 1 | 53 | |
| 2021 | 15 | 14 | 49 | 85.96% | 2 | 157 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 14 | 41 | 78.85% | 1 | 139 | |
| 2023 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 66.67% | 0 | 12 | |
| 2024 | 20 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 53 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 7 | 23 | 88.46% | 0 | 74 | |
| Career totals | 99 | 69 | 123 | 80.39% | 5 | 528 | |
Statistics are up to date as of Round 9 of the 2025 NRL season.
