Melbourne superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen is set to extend his time at the Storm by at least another season despite entering the free-agency market earlier this month for the first time in his career.
Sources with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity to protect confidentiality tipped Papenhuyzen to sign on for season 2026, ending Canterbury’s hopes of snaring one of the game’s biggest names.
Melbourne are offering Papenhuyzen a contract, but for less than what he’s currently on.Credit: Getty Images
The Storm fullback has been in discussions with the Bulldogs in recent days about a potential move to Sydney to join the club he supported as a child, but the sources said he did not want to leave Melbourne at this stage.
Papenhuyzen was originally offered a three-year contract at a reduced rate of around $750,000-$800,000 a season, but he favoured a short-term deal to keep him at the Storm until the end of 2026, making him a free agent on November 1 next year.
The Bulldogs were willing to spend more than $1 million a season to lure him north of the border, but the club was never in a position to make a formal offer.
Papenhuyzen’s likely decision to stay at the Storm will put rising Storm star Sua Fa’alogo on the radar of several clubs. Fa’alogo has a verbal agreement with Storm chairman Matt Tripp, who indicated he would be willing to explore the potential of releasing him to another club should Papenhuyzen recommit his future to the Storm.
The short-term nature of Papenhuyzen’s potential new deal could hinder Fa’alogo’s ability to extract himself from his long-term Melbourne contract.
More to come
