Melbourne has responded to allegations that, in the midst of a selection struggle with rising gun Sua Faalogo, they used a third party to sell Ryan Papenhuyzen to a rival NRL team.
The Storm have two excellent fullback options in Faalogo and Papenhuyzen for 2024; the former has made a name for himself with impressive NRL and international outings in the last two months.
Papenhuyzen has a lucrative deal that runs through 2025, but he hasn’t had much opportunity lately to prove that he is one of the best fullbacks in the league.
The 2020 Clive Churchill Medallist has only made 30 games in three seasons due to injuries.
Last week, Papenhuyzen was the focus of a Nine Newspapers report that claimed a rival club had expressed interest in signing the fullback should he become available.
Papenhuyzen told AAP on Wednesday that he was driven to “eat their words” by the third party and maintain his spot in the preseason after making an impression on the Storm coaching staff.
“Someone is planning ahead and considering their next move within (the club). Evidently, someone in the club no longer believes that I am that person,” he remarked.
On Thursday, however, the Storm denied ever looking to see if anyone would be interested in them.
“At no point has a Storm representative gotten in touch with another club directly or through a third party about an early
When Papenhuyzen recovered from his ankle fracture and resumed training, he was excited to challenge Faalogo at the selection table.”I’m sort of expecting that’s the sort of environment I’m going to come back into when I’m back fully training,” he stated.
“I’ve been there before, so I’m up for the task. I’m hoping to do it again and see what transpires.”
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