The Storm and NRL community rejoiced last weekend as Ryan Papenhuyzen took to the field in the Queensland Cup after 384 days away from the big stage.
With a contingent of Melbourne teammates making the trip up north to sit on the sideline, including Captain Christian Welch, the fullback looked to be in classic Papenhuyzen form in front of a strong crowd at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
While anticipation continues to simmer for the inevitable return of the 25-year-old to the NRL side, Welch admits a reshuffle to fit him back into the group will be a tough task.
“Luckily, that's not my job...because Nick Meaney, he's been one of our best players and he's had a fantastic year,” shared the skipper.
Nick's been fantastic, and I can't state that enough. We're really happy with him at fullback and what he's doing for us as a team and I think still there's still plenty of time for Paps.
Debuting for Storm in Round 1 of 2022, Nick Meaney has certainly found a home in the purple, recording over 100 goals and 22 tries in what has been arguably a career-best season for the Ballina Seagulls junior.
The potential of Papenhuyzen to return to the Storm fold is an exciting one for the Melbourne faithful.
“We're all aware of Ryan Papenhuyzen and what he brings to the team,” said Welch.
Welch: "That's a real goal for us"
“Clive Churchill medallist, premiership player, so he's a fantastic player and I'm sure he's going to be in our best 17, you know.
“I don't see it as a negative that [Papenhuyzen’s] going to be offering a bit energy off the bench...he’s really professional, electric, trained hard, so he's really prepared well for this moment.
“He's worked really hard with our physios and health team to really prepare himself for, hopefully, a big end of the year.”
Another outing for Papenhuyzen with the Sunshine Coast Falcons this weekend will continue his comeback as he prepares himself for an NRL return.
“It's healthy. It's exciting for him that he'll play another full game and cook up this week and let the coaches decide...there's still plenty of time for him to integrate into the NRL side.” Welch concluded.
