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Melbourne Storm fullback Ryan Papehuyzen was awarded the Clive Churchill medal following the Storm’s 26-20 victory in the Telstra Premiership grand final on Sunday night.
It is the sixth time a Storm player has been judged the best on the field in a deciding match, joining the likes of Billy Slater (twice), Cooper Cronk, Greg Inglis and Brett Kimmorley in club history.
In just his 42nd NRL appearance, he produced man-of-the-match performances for all ages with a 70-meter fugitive trial during the first half.
The 22-year-old finished the game with 208 yards from his 19 carries.
“This is amazing, I’m quite speechless and excited,” Papenhuyzen said.
Little Papenhuyzen, big jump
“Thanks to the guys, we didn’t know where we were going all year.
“It’s been a great year playing with these guys and thanks to Penrith, 17 wins in a row is a great achievement.
“It’s a difficult time in Victoria right now and we wear the V with pride.”
According to Telstra Tracker data, he racked up 46 high-speed efforts of 20km / h or more during the game, breaking the 2020 record held by Eels captain Clint Gutherson.
He reached a top speed of 35.6 km / h when he scored his runaway attempt to also be the fastest player in the game.
