Ryan Papenhuyzen’s season in doubt and there’s a chance he’ll NEVER play again, Storm insider claims

Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen’s career could be over as he struggles to recover from a badly broken kneecap.

Papenhuyzen, 24, has been sidelined since last July after an on-field clash with Canberra Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton – and an insider revealed the club has begun privately preparing for a life without the NRL premiership winner of 2020.

Utility back Nick Meaney – who signed a contract extension until 2024 at AAMI Park in January – is now reportedly seen by Craig Bellamy and his coaching staff as the club’s long-term fullback.

It is clear that Papenhuyzen is lagging behind in his recovery in several areas.

Speaking on the Matty Johns Show on Sunday night, the 2020 medalist Clive Churchill confirmed his playing future remains up in the air.

Papenhuyzen, 24, has been sidelined since last July after an on-field clash with Canberra Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton

Utility back Nick Meaney – who signed a contract extension until 2024 in January – is now reportedly seen as the club’s long-term full-back

“I wish I had a good answer to this question, but I think everyone understands it, it’s still a bit complicated,” he said.

“I’m a little short on the right quadriceps that I hit my knee on and it’s about getting below 10 percent. Once it’s below 10 percent it should go up, but we’ve just had a few issues.

‘It’s annoying. I have to be patient, it’s frustrating for me too, but that’s the best way to explain it.’

Before Papenhuyzen shattered his kneecap last July, the electric number 1 was arguably the star of the league, scoring 12 tries before suffering knee and hamstring injuries that ruled him out for six weeks.

After a further delay due to contracting Covid-19, the fullback scored two more tries on his return, but then collided with Wighton in a sickening collision.

As part of his ongoing rehabilitation, ‘Paps’ then flew to the US in January to work with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles, who stressed that patience was key.

‘He [Papenhuyzen] looked like a man who was one, ready to work. He also looked like a man, as many of them do, they are frustrated,” Knowles said in a documentary On time those shown in the low season.

Papenhuyzen was carried off AAMI Park after suffering a broken kneecap (pictured) against Canberra last July

The 24-year-old shattered his kneecap in 10 places in the match against the Raiders in scenes that NRL Physio described on social media as ‘brutal’

It’s another cathartic blow to one of rugby league’s top prospects and the Storm

‘They’re out of sorts. They’re not frustrated with the process they’ve been through, they’re frustrated with being out of the game, which they all are.

“It’s very important to be extremely honest and let the athlete know where I think they are currently in the process and take timeframes and timeframes away from when you can come back and get them really hyper-focused on the process of take what it needs.

“Once they understand that, including Ryan, they start to relax and work better.”

NRL Physio uploaded an image to their Twitter page of the fullback’s shattered patella days after Papenhuyzen was carried by AAMI Park trainers – labeling it ‘one of the most brutal injuries we’ve seen in years’.

Papenhuyzen, an Australian schoolboy representative, played in the NYC under-20 league for the Wests Tigers before signing for the Storm.

He made his NRL debut in 2019 and quickly became one of the code’s elite players due to his pace and scoring ability.