Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen’s return from injury is locked in despite recent reports he would not take the field this season.
News Corp can reveal Papenhuyzen received a highly encouraging medical report on Tuesday and could now be back playing in three to four weeks.
Papenhuyzen is likely to return through Melbourne’s feeder club, Sunshine Coast Falcons, in the Queensland Cup.
There were genuine fears Papenhuyzen would not return this season with Immortal Andrew Johns saying earlier this week: “He may not play this year.”
Papenhuyzen sustained his horror knee injury in a round 18 match against Canberra at AAMI Park last year.
It will be one full year since Papenhuyzen shattered his patella into 10 pieces when attempting to tackle Canberra’s Jack Wighton.
A friend of Papenhuyzen said: “He will 100 per cent play again this year. He got a really good medical report and is now on target to be playing again in early July.
“You’d think he’d come back through Queensland Cup. I can’t see the club throwing him straight back into the NRL. You could safely say he’ll be back within three to four weeks.
“The club might talk it down just a little to give Ryan the time and space he needs to start preparing and adjusting for a comeback. He is trying so hard to get himself right.”
Friends claim Papenhuyzen has been left gutted at the continuous delays in his return date while teammates have tried to keep the former grand final star upbeat during the long recovery process.
Papenhuyzen’s comeback, and his speed from the back field, will give Melbourne a colossal boost as the NRL premiership starts to gear up for the looming finals.
With his injury recovering, Papenhuyzen now has to overcome the mental battle of returning to the NRL after such an extensive lay off.
In a desperate bid to return earlier, Papenhuyzen followed NRL stars Tom Trbojevic and Latrell Mitchell by flying to Philadelphia to work under American reconditioning guru, Bill Knowles.
It was originally hoped Papenhuyzen would return in round six this season.
In April, when quizzed about the injury and a possible return date, Papenhuyzen told Fox League: “I wish I had a proper answer to this question.
“For everyone to understand, it’s still a bit complicated. I’ve got a bit of a deficiency in my right foot which I did my knee on and it’s all about getting it to under 10 per cent.
“Once it’s under 10 per cent, it should ramp up – we’ve just had a few difficulties. It’s annoying and I’ve just had to be patient. I think that’s the best way to explain it.”
Papenhuyzen kept NRL fans updated on his injury through social media.
He posted earlier this year: “Nine months – not where I want to be yet but slowly riding the rollercoaster. Reality check that rehab isn’t linear this month, but we keep going.”
SCARE FOR NSW CONTENDER WALKER
Blues contender Cody Walker failed to finish training for the Rabbitohs on Thursday due to a minor quad strain.
Walker has been talked up as a halves solution for the Blues following the injury to Nathan Cleary, who has been ruled out for the series.
Souths expect Walker to take the field against the Dragons.
Meanwhile, Parramatta prop Wiremu Greig has had surgery on a lisfranc injury in his foot.
While no return date has been determined, he is set to be sidelined long-term.
Full Late Mail to come.
Originally published as NRL Late Mail Round 15: Ryan Papenhuyzen eyes return, scare for NSW hopeful Cody Walker