Ryan Papenhuyzen admits he is hopeful his lingering injury concerns will not impact his run to the finals much more as his return for the Melbourne Storm is delayed another week.
The star fullback has faced several injury setbacks throughout his career, with his latest calf concern forcing him to the sidelines for a third consecutive week.
Papenhuyzen insisted the injury is not serious, however Melbourne’s medical staff are taking “a cautious approach” in a bid to aid his recovery ahead of the finals series.
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The medical team said they are hopeful he will return as soon as next week.
In the meantime, Nick Meaney will continue fulfilling duties at fullback.
“I’ve been dealing with a little bit of a calf strain, which is a little bit annoying,” Papenhuyzen told 2GB’s Wide World of Sports radio.
Ryan Papenhuyzen of the Storm. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“But we are in a good position (for me) to be able to rest and get it right before the back end of the year.”
Asked if the injury concern would need to be managed until the end of the season, Papenhuyzen replied: “Probably.”
“Like any injury or niggle, you have to manage (it). I’m still managing knees and ankle (injuries) from years ago. You just have to make sure you are putting your attention in the right places with your rehab.
“It will be something that we will focus on to make sure it doesn’t flare up through the year. I can’t fault what we’ve been doing so far process wise.
“It is just one of those unfortunate things to happen.”
Lingering injuries are not enough to shift Papenhuyzen’s focus away from winning the 2025 premiership.
Melbourne sits second on the ladder behind only Canberra.
“I think we just keep building,” Papenhuyzen said of the Storm’s game heading into the finals.
“We have a good foundation. At the start of the year we were trying to find our identity and now we have a good balance.
“There is definitely room to build on it … when finals come around, you just have to make the most of moments when they come.
“We are just going to keep rolling on like we are doing.”
