Papenhuyzen ‘forever in Slater’s debt’ for Storm return

Joel Gould | September 5, 2023

Ryan Papenhuyzen says he would not be back on the football field for Melbourne if it was not for the care and support of club legend Billy Slater and his family.

The 2020 Clive Churchill Medal and premiership-winning fullback shattered his kneecap into 10 pieces in July of last year, returning against Gold Coast in round 26 this season after a 405-day absence from the NRL.

The 25-year-old is set to play against Brisbane in Friday night’s qualifying final at Suncorp Stadium after wondering at times whether he would ever play in an NRL finals series again.

“You have your days where you don’t think it is possible, and even coming back you don’t know if you are going to make the 17,” he said.

“It is daunting. It is scary but I am just happy I put in all the hard work … all those days where you don’t want to do things but you just have to do them. I am reaping the rewards now.

“I am just grateful to be back and in the side. To be playing finals footy again is exciting. You want to do it as a kid and that is no different now. 

“This is my third finals and I am really looking forward to it. I hope we can do something special.”

Storm great Slater was a wonderful mentor for Papenhuyzen while he was playing fullback. He has subsequently been a coaching consultant to the Storm, but more importantly he’s been a great friend.

The current Queensland Maroons coach played just eight games for Melbourne in the 2015 and 2016 seasons due to injury and appreciates what Papenhuyzen has been through.

“Billy has been awesome. I am where I am now because of him,” Papenhuyzen said.

“He went through such a long-term injury himself and understands how tough it is but him and (wife) Nicole would invite me over to their place and we would just have a day out where we would not talk about footy.

“He understood the mental side of rehab and how you need to switch off sometimes and enjoy the company of others. I am just really grateful to them.

“They would invite me out to their farm. We’d go out and have dinner. (Slater’s children) Tyla and Jake would chill out and we’d go play some tennis.”

Papenhuyzen had to do the hard work himself to get back on the field, including a trip to Philadelphia where he worked with one of the world’s best rehab gurus Bill Knowles.

The Slater family also helped him reset his mind.

“They did that for me. A big credit to Slats,” he said.

“He is unbelievable. I am forever in debt to him.

“He has helped me through the whole ordeal. He reached out about how important it is to have someone else (helping) while you are not playing, to keep your mind simulated.

“It is just special to have someone like him at the club who wants to give back so much.”

Papenhuyzen has also adopted Buddhist teachings and philosophies from day-to-day, not as a convert but as a tool to achieve inner contentment and a state of grace.

When he joined the Storm he kept a journal for 280 consecutive days where he would outline why he was grateful for his lot in life, along with practising mindfulness and diaphragm breathing before going to bed.

The therapeutic benefits are real but the approach has also assisted Papenhuyzen to make the right decisions in the NRL cauldron.

Mindfulness, a key tenet of Buddhist teaching, is a form of meditation in which a person’s focus is on being intensely aware of what they are feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.

When asked about the appeal of the concept of mindfulness, Papenhuyzen said it had been a great assistance to him in his rehabilitation.

“I had to do a lot of mindfulness through this period. It keeps you in good stead,” he said.

“It is important to keep mindful of what you are doing and stay grounded. On those dark days, you know better ones are going to come. I was really big on that.

“It doesn’t mean you aren’t going to have tough days. You are always going to have them but it makes you appreciate the good ones more.

“It is something I will probably reflect on at the end of the year but at the moment I am just really proud of how far I have come and the guys around me that have helped me. 

“I just want to ride the wave we have got at the moment.”

Coach Craig Bellamy described Papenhuyzen’s display against the Broncos in last Thursday’s 32-22 win as superb, considering the returning player filled in at fullback, in the halves and as a roving ruck forward.

Papenhuyzen doesn’t mind where he plays on Friday night.

“I know Means (Nick Meaney) has been doing a really good job so it might not be fullback but if it is I am ready to go,” Papenhuyzen said.

“If it is somewhere else then … put me in. I just want to be in the 17 because I know it is a special team.”