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 6 October 2024
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Ryan Papenhuyzen (born 10 June 1998) is an Australian professional rugby league player. He plays as a fullback (fullback) for the Melbourne Storm team in Australia's National Rugby League (NRL). In 2020, he was part of the team that won the NRL premiership.
Contents
Growing Up and Early Rugby League
Ryan Papenhuyzen was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. His family has Dutch roots.
He grew up in Kellyville, New South Wales. He went to Oakhill College in Castle Hill. In 2015, he was chosen to play for the Australian Schoolboys rugby league team. After high school, he studied Physical Activity, Health and Exercise Science at Australian Catholic University.
Ryan played touch football and junior rugby league for local teams like Kellyville Bushrangers. He also played for the Dundas Shamrocks and the Hills District Bulls. Later, he was signed by the Balmain Tigers.
Starting His Professional Journey
Ryan played junior rugby league for Balmain in competitions like the S. G. Ball Cup. He then played for the Wests Tigers' Under-20s team. He later joined the Melbourne Storm team. This happened after the Wests Tigers decided 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.
Ryan's NRL Career Highlights
2019: Making a Big Splash
Ryan made his first appearance for Melbourne Storm 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 gave him his Melbourne jersey (cap number 194).
He had a fantastic game in round 9 against the Parramatta Eels. He came onto the field and scored a try. He also ran for 137 metres and helped create many scoring chances. Melbourne won that game 64–10.
In October, Ryan was chosen to play for Australia in the 2019 Rugby League World Cup 9s. He was also named as the fullback in the Under-23 Junior Kangaroos team. Ryan scored two tries when the Junior Kangaroos beat France 62–4.
2020: Premiership Glory
In a game against the Sydney Roosters, Melbourne was losing by one point with only 40 seconds left. Ryan kicked a field goal, which tied the score. This was his first field goal in the NRL.
Ryan played a key role in the 2020 NRL Grand Final. Melbourne won the game 26–20. Ryan was named the best player of the match and won the Clive Churchill Medal.
He was also selected for the NSW Origin squad. However, he had to withdraw from the first game due to an injury.
2021: Top Scorer and Injuries
Ryan started the 2021 season as the main fullback and goal kicker for Melbourne. This was after Cameron Smith retired. In round 4, Melbourne beat the Brisbane Broncos 40-6. Ryan scored four tries in just 11 minutes in that game. This tied the club record for the most tries in a single game. He also kicked five goals, scoring a total of 26 points.
In round 10, Ryan suffered a serious concussion. This happened after a high tackle from Tyrell Fuimaono. This injury meant he could not play for NSW in the State of Origin. He also missed most of the season. Ryan returned to play later in the season, but only for a short time in each game.
He played 15 games for Melbourne in the 2021 NRL season. He scored 14 tries and helped the club win 19 matches in a row. They also won the Minor Premiership. Ryan scored 157 points that season. He played in all three final matches. However, Melbourne lost to the Penrith Panthers in the preliminary final.
2022: More Injuries and Comebacks
In round 4 of the 2022 NRL season, Ryan scored a new personal best of 28 points in one game. He scored four tries and kicked six goals against the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
In round 9, Ryan had to leave the field during a game against St. George Illawarra. He had a hamstring and knee injury, which meant he missed several matches. He returned in round 16 and scored two tries against Manly.
In round 18, Ryan suffered another serious injury. He had a suspected fractured kneecap during a game against the Canberra Raiders. It was later confirmed that he would miss the rest of the 2022 season.
2023: Tough Return and New Injury
Ryan missed the first 22 rounds of the 2023 NRL season because of his serious kneecap injury. He returned to play for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in August. Ryan came back to the top-grade NRL in round 26 of the 2023 season. He scored his first try of the season in round 27.
Sadly, Ryan suffered another season-ending injury in the finals. He broke and dislocated his ankle while tackling an opponent. This happened in Melbourne's loss to the Brisbane Broncos.
2024: Back on the Field
Ryan returned to play in round 1 of the 2024 season. Melbourne beat the Penrith Panthers 8-0. The team won many of their first games, putting them in first place. In round 9, Ryan started limping after a tackle and had to leave the field. It was found that he had a small fracture in his leg, which had been surgically repaired before. This meant he would miss four to six weeks of games.
Ryan played 20 matches for Melbourne in the 2024 NRL season. This included their Grand Final loss to Penrith. In December, the Storm announced that Ryan had signed a new contract to stay with the club until the end of 2026.
Awards and Achievements
Melbourne Storm
- NRL premiership: 2020
- NRL minor premiership (finishing first in the regular season): 2019, 2021, 2024
Individual Awards
- Clive Churchill Medal: 2020 (Award for the best player in the Grand Final)
- Melbourne Storm Rookie of the Year: 2019
- Melbourne Storm Back of the Year: 2020, 2021, 2022
Career Statistics
Here are Ryan Papenhuyzen's career statistics in the NRL.
| † | Denotes seasons in which Papenhuyzen won an NRL Premiership |
| Season | Team | Matches | T (Tries) | G (Goals) | GK % (Goal Kicking Percentage) | F/G (Field Goals) | Pts (Total Points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 1 | 53 | |||
| Career totals | 92 | 62 | 100 | 78.74% | 5 | 446 | |
