Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Grant ruled out in massive NRL blow for Melbourne Storm

Ryan Papenhuyzen and Harry Grant will both miss the Melbourne Storm's clash with the Raiders on Saturday night. Papenhuyzen, after fracturing a bone in the right leg he broke at the end of last year, returned for the Storm in his team's blockbuster 30-24 win over the Dolphins last Friday night.

Papenhuyzen was in electric NRL form before his injury in the first nine rounds and he continued his try scoring form against the Dolphins in the 11th minute. His return was also highlighted by an incredible chase, which nearly resulted in a remarkable saved try.

However, the 26-year-old didn't train during the week after picking up a heel injury in the victory. While not a major issue, Papenhuyzen won't play against the Raiders on Saturday, with the Storm opting to play it safe.

Sua Faalogo will take over as fullback after filling in for Papenhuyzen previously. “He hasn’t done a whole heap of training from last week, he’s been a bit sore, as he hadn’t played for a while,” Bellamy said about Papenhuyzen ahead of the weekend clash.

“He’s got a little bump on his heel but they (Storm medical staff) expected it to be no problem but there has been a bit of a problem, obviously, it’s not 100 per cent. We didn’t want to stir it up again and it be sore again tomorrow, so we will see how he is in the morning. At the end of the day, it’ll be his decision on how sore it is.”

Craig Bellamy opts to give Harry Grant a rest

Harry Grant and Xavier Coates were on the end of a beatdown on Wednesday as the Blues won 38-18 at the MCG in State of Origin 2. Grant received a cut to the head during the clash and won't play against Canberra either.

“I think one will definitely play and one probably won’t, but we’ll work it out tomorrow morning,” Bellamy said. “They’ve both got a couple of bumps and bruises and obviously Harry’s got that cut on his head.”

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Bellamy was predicting a fast game on a cold night at AAMI Park with some of Canberra's quick outside backs making a difference in 2024. “They’ve got a great record down here against us – they always seem to aim up and it’s a bit of an ambush,” Bellamy said. “They’ve got some really good players and Rick’s (coach Ricky Stuart) brought in a couple of young blokes who have added some real dash to their game, so we know it’s going to be a real tough game tomorrow night.”

with Newswire