Ryan Papenhuyzen of Melbourne has undergone surgery on a fractured right ankle, and the NRL club is confident he will be able to return to training in the new year.
With seven minutes remaining in the Storm’s 26-0 qualifying final loss to Brisbane, Papenhuyzen was taken off Lang Park in agony.
Following the game, he was immediately taken to the hospital.
Papenhuyzen was playing in only his third NRL match since returning from a devastating injury that fractured his kneecap into ten pieces in July of last year.
Late Friday night, Papenhuyzen, from his hospital bed, shared a photo to Instagram with the caption: “We go again.” “I adore you.”
Storm general manager Frank Ponissi said the injury was not a complex fracture on Saturday.
“We’re obviously devastated for Ryan suffering another setback after spending a significant time away from the game after injuring his knee last year,” Ponissi wrote in an e-mail.
“He’s worked extremely hard over that time to get back to the NRL and has left no stone unturned in his recovery.”
“We know he’s the ultimate professional on and off the pitch, and this is just another challenge he’ll take on head on.”
“His surgery went well this morning and, at this stage, we expect him to be back training in the new year but for now we’re focused on ensuring he is getting the right care.”
Storm coach Craig Bellamy remarked after the game that he couldn’t fathom how Papenhuyzen was feeling.
“The amount of work he put in to get back to playing again, then get back into the NRL too,” Bellamy was quoted as saying.
“It wasn’t a great night anyway, and it made it a lot worse.”
Papenhuyzen was just starting to get his groove back when disaster struck.
He was making a tackle when his leg got caught awkwardly under teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
Play stopped for minutes as he was carefully placed on the medicab and taken off the field.
Ponissi said Xavier Coates would have scans on Saturday afternoon on his injured ankle after returning to Melbourne with the squad.
The Storm will now face either the Sydney Roosters and Cronulla in a knockout semifinal next weekend.
