>Melbourne Storm fans are reeling after star fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen announced his immediate departure from the club following thier recent Grand Final loss. The 27-year-old, a pivotal player for the Storm over the past several seasons and a prolific try-scorer, has revealed a head knock during the final game sparked a deeper reflection on his career and future. Papenhuyzen’s decision, initially speculated to perhaps involve a move to R360, now appears to signal a possible retirement as he weighs opportunities outside of professional rugby league.
Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen has revealed the moment he decided to step away from rugby league, ultimately leading to his immediate release from the club following their Grand Final defeat to the Broncos.
The 27-year-old, who played 113 games for the Storm and scored 77 tries, had been speculated to potentially join R360, but has now indicated he is taking a year off from the sport and may be retired altogether.
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Speaking on the 167 podcast, which he co-hosts with former teammates Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster, Papenhuyzen detailed the pivotal moment that led to his decision.
“I will set the record straight… I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll start from the Brisbane game in the last round,” he explained. “So that game, pretty much I had that head knock in the last minutes and obviously went off the field and was in the sheds, pretty emotional… I was rattled. I don’t think I’ve ever really cried in front of you boys, but I was in the sheds trying to hide it.”
“In that moment it was kind of like, what am I doing? At what cost do you play footy for? I just had one of those moments, it was fleeting and over the weekend, I processed it.”
“That was the catalyst for the conversations that went in place for the next few weeks. The plan was always, after that, whatever happens I’m having a year off.”
“There was always a bit of me that thought if we lose, I’d want to come back and play again and if we won, it would be good to just go off and do it. It didn’t change my feeling of it at all. I’ve done all I can, I’ve tried hard and put in everything I can… if I keep playing this game, at what cost?”
In a surprising revelation, Papenhuyzen also suggested he is now considering retirement from rugby league.
While a potential move to rugby union had been discussed, the head knock sustained against the Broncos proved to be a turning point in his thinking. Papenhuyzen is now exploring opportunities outside of football, despite acknowledging it’s “hard to leave that environment” and the financial security it provides.
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“What else in life do I want to achieve? That was helping people. In what capacity? I love psychology and I guess I love new experiences so what can I channel that into?” he explained.
“I know I said a year [not playing] but at this stage, I don’t actually feel like I would play at all. I think I’m enjoying what I’m doing now and I’m going to give that my all.”
“I know R360 [was there] and that was definitely in the talks and definitely something I was keen on, but I think that incident in Brisbane in the last round was just sort of like, everything happens for a reason, the universe puts you in situations.
“It was nearly like ‘no, you need to make this decision, be strong with it, stick with it’… so now I think I’m retired.”
