Storm No.1, Cleary miss GF rematch

MELBOURNE fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen and Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary will miss tonight’s NRL grand final rematch while two other Storm stars will be sidelined for longer than expected.
Papenhuyzen was ruled out of the round-three clash at Panthers Stadium due to a neck injury sustained in last week’s loss to Parramatta.
New South Wales Origin halfback Cleary suffered a head knock in the final minutes of Saturday’s 28-0 win over Canterbury just four days ago with not enough time to pass concussion protocols.
His absence allows Matt Burton, who has signed with Canterbury for 2022, to play his first NRL game of the season in the halves against Melbourne.
Papenhuyzen is expected to miss one game, his absence a huge blow for the Storm with coach Craig Bellamy rating him as their best player in the opening matches of the season.
The Storm had hoped to have co-captain Dale Finucane (calf) and hooker Harry Grant (knee) back in the next round but Bellamy revealed yesterday that their recovery had been slower than expected.
“They are taking longer than we’d like and longer than what was first expected — they will probably be another two or three weeks away,” Bellamy said.
Melbourne’s other injured Origin representative, centre Brenko Lee, has overcome his hamstring injury to have his first run of the season in the Queensland Cup.
Clive Churchill Medallist Papenhuyzen has been in blistering form, with 424-run metres despite the 12-16 loss to Parramatta being played in heavy rain.
Papenhuyzen tops the competition for runs, with 45, and kick-return metres.
Nicho Hynes is tipped to start at fullback.
“His figures from last week were unbelievable, the amount of runs he had and metres and his involvements, just in contact,” Bellamy said of 22-year-old Papenhuyzen.
Meanwhile, when asked about Cleary’s absence, Penrith coach Ivan Cleary said: “It’s disappointing but we’ve got full faith in Burto and he gets his opportunity so I’m looking forward to seeing how he plays.” – AAP