‘I’m retired’ Ryan Papenhuyzen breaks silence on NRL exit and rugby league future

Ryan Papenhuyzen has broken his silence on the decision to step away from the NRL, insisting he is retired for good.

Papenhuyzen shocked the rugby league world by announcing he was taking time away from the sport, despite playing a key role in Melbourne Storm’s route to the NRL Grand Final last year.

He was expected to make a return to professional sport at some point but speaking on his 167 podcast, he suggested his race was run.

“I don’t even know where to start, but I’ll start from the Brisbane game in the last round,” he said.

“So that game, pretty much I had that head knock in the last minutes and obviously went off the field and was in the sheds, pretty emotional, I was rattled. I don’t think I’ve ever really cried in front of you boys, but I was in the sheds trying to hide it.

“In that moment it was kind of like, what am I doing? At what cost do you play footy for? I just had one of those moments, it was fleeting and over the weekend, I processed it.

“That was the catalyst for the conversations that went in place for the next few weeks. The plan was always, after that, whatever happens I’m having a year off.

“There was always a bit of me that thought if we lose, I’d want to come back and play again and if we won, it would be good to just go off and do it.

“It didn’t change my feeling of it at all. I’ve done all I can, I’ve tried hard and put in everything I can… if I keep playing this game, at what cost?”

He then went on to admit that he cannot envisage himself returning to the field, in rugby league or R360, as was speculated to be his next destination at the time.

“I know I said a year [not playing] but at this stage, I don’t actually feel like I would play at all. I think I’m enjoying what I’m doing now and I’m going to give that my all.

“I know R360 [was there] and that was definitely in the talks and definitely something I was keen on, but I think that incident in Brisbane in the last round was just sort of like, everything happens for a reason, the universe puts you in situations.

“It was nearly like ‘no, you need to make this decision, be strong with it, stick with it’… so now I think I’m retired.”