Ryan Papenhuyzen's admission about girlfriend as Storm star's 'risky' NRL move confirmed

Ryan Papenhuyzen has turned down the opportunity to move home to Sydney with his girlfriend to gamble on himself as he officially penned a one-year contract extension that will keep him at Melbourne until the end of 2026. The Storm No.1 had been sounded out by rival NRL clubs since the start of November, with Canterbury and Cronulla expressing interest in the star fullback.

But the desire to win a premiership and prove his value after years of injury turmoil has led him to decide to stay at Melbourne for the next two seasons. It means, Papenhuyzen, Jahrome Hughes and Harry Grant are now all signed until the end of 2026, while Cameron Munster is locked in until 2027, boosting the Storm's hopes of a premiership.

"I feel like we're building something special here and I have a real drive to see that through," Papenhuyzen said in a statement on Thursday. "We've had the core group of our squad together for a while and played a lot of footy alongside each other. To stay in Melbourne and hopefully enjoy success together is something that motivates me."

The Melbourne flyer is the starting fullback and many suggested he would be too comfortable to move away from Melbourne with his girlfriend, Emma MacDonald - who relocated from Sydney to be closer to him earlier this year. Papenhuyzen also grew up in Sydney and it is where his and his partner's families both live.

So, with a more lucrative offer on the table for him to move north, the Melbourne No.1 admits he was tempted by the proposition but wasn't comfortable with signing such a long-term deal until he got his body right. And when push came to shove, instead of repaying MacDonald by moving up north, Papenhuyzen opted to repay Melbourne for the faith they have showed in him, by agreeing to a one-year extension.

However, the length of the deal means he will be in the same situation in 12 months, where he hinted he could make a different decision. "It resonated with me to extend to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m willing to risk some security in my career to actually improve myself and be a person focused on growth,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

"Most of the deals in front of me were long term and I didn’t feel comfortable signing a long-term deal, I just felt like I wanted to get my body back in a space where my teammates can trust me and they can see I’m genuine about getting my body back into the best shape possible...If I’m playing good footy, then it’s adding value to the team and we can do something more than that, but if I’m not then they can go a different way, which I completely understood."

Storm's Sua Fa'alogo and Ryan Papenhuyzen dilemma

Papenhuyzen is one of the highest-paid players at the Storm but has had a horror run of injuries over the past few years which has resulted in him taking a pay cut on his new deal of around $150,000. And while the club will be relieved he has re-signed it has only kicked the can down the road for their biggest dilemma, who to prioritise as the club's long-term fullback.

Earlier this year, Fa'alogo signed an extension with the Storm until the end of 2028. But it is understood the Storm have a verbal agreement with Fa'alogo that if they re-sign Papenhuyzen he can seek a deal elsewhere. However, the one-year extension leaves the door open for Sua Fa'alogo to replace Papenhuyzen as the long-term fullback at the end of his deal.

The 21-year-old prodigy is deemed by many as the long-term fullback for the Storm. And Papenhuyzen signing on for just one more year could see the Storm hold onto the pair for now before assessing which one they should prioritise this time next year.

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Ryan Papenhuyzen keeps door open to Sydney move

While Papenhuyzen will remain in Melbourne for at least the next two years, he didn't shut the door on a future move to Sydney. With his family and partner's family up north, he and MacDonald often don't get to spend as much time with their loved ones as they would want and it could lead to the Storm No.1 taking up a lucrative offer in Sydney at the end of his new Melbourne deal.

Despite committing his future to Melbourne on Thursday, Papenhuyzen admitted he's being selfish by staying at Melbourne and when it comes time to decide this time next year on his future, he may need to choose love and his family. "It wasn’t an easy decision... It definitely was tempting and I had to sit down and think about it, but I think it's more of a selfish decision to stay down here and I know it’s the best environment for me to continue to grow as a player and a person," Papenhuyzen said.