After more than 13 months out of the game through injury, Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen will return to the NRL against the Titans.
The dynamic fullback has played three matches for the Storm's feeder club, the Sunshine Coast Falcons, in the Queensland Cup as he worked his way back to his first-grade comeback.
Despite a reported setback leading into Round 26, the former Clive Churchill Medal winner is set to come off the bench in Saturday's clash with Gold Coast, with a victory securing a top-four spot.
The Sporting News has all the latest on Papenhuyzen's highly-anticipated return below.
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Papenhuyzen named on bench in Storm's Round 26 NRL squad
After multiple impressive outings in the QLD Cup, Papenhuyzen has been included on the Storm's interchange bench ahead of their Round 26 clash with the Titans.
He was originally named amongst the reserves, but has done enough during the week to earn himself a spot in the 17-player team on Saturday afternoon.
Papenhuyzen's last appearance in the NRL was in Round 18, 2022, his return will be his first NRL action in a whopping 404 days.
Check out the final team lists for Papenhuyzen's NRL return here.
Papenhuyzen suffers reported injury setback in training
Papenhuyzen suffered a knock at training last week, per NRL Physio on Twitter.
Ryan Papenhuyzen copped a knock at training this week & is in some doubt for the SC Falcons on Saturday. Has been on a modified training schedule coming back from the significant knee injury, still learning what he can & can’t do. Decision on his availability to be made tomorrow
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) August 17, 2023
However, he still lined up to play for the Falcons against Tweed Seagulls on Saturday afternoon in the Queensland Cup.
He played all 80 minutes at fullback in another solid showing.
Papenhuyzen returns in the Queensland Cup for Sunshine Coast Falcons
Papenhuyzen lined up at fullback for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup last fortnight. as his side recorded a comfortable 24-10 win over the struggling Ipswich Jets.
The No.1 featured for the entirety of the first half, bouncing around at the back in typical fashion and looking threatening throughout.
Papenhuyzen - who had goal-kicking duties while on the park - was supported by a number of his Storm teammates who all attended the match at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
The likes of Harry Grant, Christian Welch and Nelson Asofa-Solomona were all on hand to witness Papenhuyzen's successful return from his horrific knee injury.
Meanwhile, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy mistakenly missed the match but said he would speak to his star fullback to gauge how he went.
"I forgot we had the weekend off - that's how f****** dumb I am," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"I'll watch it somewhere and speak to him after the game."
Will Ryan Papenhuyzen return to the Melbourne Storm for the NRL finals?
Papenhuyzen's last NRL match was in Round 18, 2022, a 20-16 loss to the Canberra Raiders at AAMI Park.
Now, nearly 13 months on, he is nearing a return to first grade.
If he successfully plays multiple matches in the Queensland Cup, there is a chance he will be made available for selection in time for the Melbourne Storm's finals campaign, with three rounds still remaining in the regular season.
A player of his calibre would be a major boost for Bellamy's side, although it is unclear where he would slot in.
Nick Meaney has thrived at fullback this season, so Papenhuyzen could instead be implemented in a utility role.
What happened to Ryan Papenhuyzen?
Papenhuyzen suffered a shattered patella following a collision with Raiders star Jack Wighton.
His kneecap was split into 10 pieces, with rehabilitation from that gruesome accident taking a lot longer than initially expected.
The 25-year-old followed in the footsteps of Latrell Mitchell by venturing over to the United States to work with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles earlier this year.
Upon return, an initial timeframe was set for Papenhuyzen to play again within the first two months of the season, although numerous setbacks saw that target moved back multiple times.
