Injured Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen stuns his teammates as he kicks an AFL ball the length of a basketball court and finds nothing but net
- Star Melbourne fullback kicks up a storm
- Footage of NRL star kicking AFL ball into basketball net
- Injury has not stopped his kicking talent
He may be slowly recovering from a devastating knee injury, but Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen has still managed to stun his teammates with a sublime kicking game – on a basketball court.
The hugely talented fullback picked up an AFL ball and stood at the end of the pitch as he kicked it towards the opposing net in an amazing video posted by the NRL team.
It sailed as straight as a shot from a rifle for the distance of 28 yards and passed through the net without even hitting the backboard.
The kick couldn’t have been executed better, with pinpoint accuracy that left no doubt his knee injury didn’t affect his ability to put the ball to the ball.
Papenhuyzen last played in round 18 last year in the Storm’s 20-16 loss to Canberra when he fractured his right kneecap in a terrible injury that required immediate surgery and a very long rehabilitation process.
His extraordinary indoor bucket fell off his right foot and showed encouraging signs of recovery.
However, in a recent interview with Matthew Johns, Papenhuyzen said he’s struggling to get back to full fitness and doesn’t know when he’ll be able to get back on the pitch.
“It’s still a bit complicated,” he said.
“I’m a little short on my right quadriceps [quadriceps thigh muscle] where I put my knee.
‘It’s annoying. I have to be patient, it’s frustrating for me too, but that’s the best way to explain it.’
That was no hindrance as he pulled off the kick of his life as 19-year-old club mate Sua Fa’alogo watched in disbelief.
Ryan Papenhuyzen is photographed with an AFL ball during Storm practice earlier this year
Papenhuyzen is pictured with ex-girlfriend Kelsey Browne of the Collingwood Magpies netball side at an NRL function
When the video appeared on Tik Tok, the response was swift. Many AFL fans begged him to transfer to their club, while some questioned how many tries it would take to land the shot.
As for his return to the paddock, it seems that despite how well his right leg, knee and foot performed with this trick shot, it may still be coming to an end.
It is now running at 80 percent.
Melbourne Storm fans want him back as soon as possible, but the team is sailing nicely in fourth place on the NRL ladder with five wins from eight games played without him so far.
His replacement at fullback, Nick Meaney, had a stunning start to the season and was man of the match last week.