“We will miss seeing it if he hangs up his boots.
Papenhuyzen’s raw admission – in which he said he was “shaken” and wondering “at what cost” he continues to play – comes as the NRL is desperate to crack down on concussion issues, particularly after the horrific incident with Eliesa Katoa.
The Storm forward will miss the entire 2026 season after suffering a brain bleed from multiple blows to the head before and during Tonga’s clash against New Zealand at the Pacific Championship.
Felise Kaufusi (left) paid tribute to Ryan Papenhuyzen (right) and urged players to take head injury concerns more seriously.
Interventions by independent doctors during competitions have polarized experts, with some arguing that there has been too much interference – particularly in cases where players are found not to be concussed after assessment.
“We’ve seen things happen with Eli Katoa as well, which is really extreme. It definitely opened my mind a bit more, even growing up I was like ‘what’s the knock on the head? I’m going to be right, just let me back in’.”
“I think it’s just an adrenaline rush in the sense that it’s possible, and it has to come from an outside source to just take it out of our hands.
“You think it’s just a little knock, you want to be out there playing and you don’t want to miss games because of it, but in the long run — especially when you start having families — you have to think outside the box.
“Footy only lasts 10 years if you’re lucky and then you’ve got the rest of your life to live. It’s the brain, you can’t study that until you’re a carcass, so it definitely needs a lot of attention.”
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