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why is papenhuyzen not playing

Ryan Papenhuyzen is not playing right now because he has stepped away from rugby league after a long run of serious injuries and recent concussions, and he’s been granted an immediate release from the Melbourne Storm to consider his future.

Why is Papenhuyzen not playing?

Long injury history

  • Papenhuyzen has battled major injuries for several seasons, including a shattered kneecap in 2022 that kept him out for over a year.
  • When he finally returned, he then suffered a serious ankle injury in the finals, which ended that season for him as well.

Recent concussions and health concerns

  • At the back end of 2025 he reportedly suffered two concussions in about a month, on top of a history of complex, slow recoveries from head knocks.
  • Because of that concussion history, there are genuine long‑term health concerns, and he has even hinted publicly that he might be forced into retirement.

Release from Melbourne Storm

  • In late 2025, the Melbourne Storm confirmed that Papenhuyzen had been granted an immediate release despite having a year left on his contract.
  • The club said he wanted to step away from rugby league for a while to think about what comes next, rather than push on while still dealing with injuries and uncertainty about his body.

What this means right now

  • As of early 2026, he is not playing NRL because he has left the Storm and is taking time out from the game after repeated injuries and concussions.
  • There’s no clear confirmation of a full retirement yet, but his own comments and the nature of his injuries mean many fans and commentators are treating this as potentially the end of his professional playing career.

In forum discussions, a lot of people frame it as “better to protect his brain and have a life after footy” than to chase one more comeback, given everything he’s already gone through.

TL;DR: He’s not playing because after years of serious injuries, two late‑2025 concussions, and an immediate release from the Storm, he has stepped away from the NRL to prioritise his health and decide whether he’ll ever return.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.