Rugby League: Melbourne Storm’s Ryan Papenhuyzen Grand Final magic leaves jaw dropping

Legacies are made on the big stage and on Sunday night Ryan Papenhuyzen showed that he is more than made to be the center of attention.

Melbourne’s fullback Storm capped off a sensational season by wrecking ANZ Stadium as the Storm clinched a 26-20 victory over the Penrith Panthers.

As all eyes were on Storm’s star Cameron Smith in what may well have been his last game, it was Papenhuyzen who stole the show with a series of highlights that led him to claim the Clive Churchill medal as the best player on the field.

His dazzling performance saw him effectively close the door to the contest with a crushing line break early in the second half.

With the Storm leading 22-0 and following a poor challenge from Panthers, Papenhuyzen made the most of a downed Panthers line to break through and pull away in a 70-meter no-touch attempt.

But it was later in the contest that he really produced his best moment of the game as the Panthers were looking for an answer on the scoreboard.

When the momentum of the contest began to shift in Penrith’s favor, Nathan Cleary’s already nightmare sunk even further.

After Smith conceded a penalty, Cleary sought to gain as much ground as possible with a kick into touch. Unfortunately, he tried to bite off more than he could chew.

Papenhuyzen displayed incredible alertness to sprint across the grass and dash over the sideline, before displaying incredible athleticism to return the ball into play and into the hands of his Storm teammates as they held the 26-6 lead.

Look at the terrain he covered and the perfect timing in his jump to stop the Panthers’ attack wave.

Papenhuyzen’s brilliant moment left the team of commentators in disbelief and lit up social media.

“Papenhuyzen, he left the field of play to regain the rake on the field and continues to play for Vunivalu,” said Ray Warren. “It is a magnificent work by Papenhuyzen.”

“He was halfway up Parramatta Road. Look how far off the field of play he gets here. He’s not giving up, look at this,” Phil Gould said.

“My God,” Warren added.

Herald Sun reporter Nick Smart summed it up perfectly: “That’s … ridiculous of Papenhuyzen.”

Christian Nicolussi, a reporter for the Sydney Morning Herald, said: “Ryan Papenhuyzen. FREAK.”

With a 204 meter running game, his line break break attempt, and this odd play, it was clear that he was the difference in the contest and received the Clive Churchill medal.

The 22-year-old Storm star couldn’t believe his time as prime minister was culminating with the illustrious medal for best in the field.

“This is unbelievable. I don’t know (what to say) I’m quite speechless. I was quite emotional after the game,” Papenhuyzen said.

“First of all, thanks to the guys. It’s been a really rough year. We didn’t know where we were going. We were sitting on the runway at Bankstown airport and we had no idea where we were going.

“We stuck together, we overcame and we adapted and we got history.

“It looked really bad in some stages, but thank you Peter, (V’landys) thank you for getting the game going. You are very strong and we are very grateful for that. It has been a great year.

“Thank you, Penrith. You are really good. Seventeen in a row is an incredible achievement.

“Well done to you. Thank you to our fans who stayed strong. Especially ours in Victoria. It’s a tough time in Victoria. It’s a tough time right now and we wear the V on our jersey with pride.

“We can’t wait to get back there and celebrate with you, so thank you.”

To further crown his night off, Papenhuyzen was named a member of NSW’s expanded team on the upcoming State of Origin series.