The Melbourne Storm have been hit with a brutal blow heading into the NRL grand final rematch against the Panthers with Ryan Papenhuyzen ruled out, while the Warriors shut down speculation around Jett Cleary’s NRL debut. Papenhuyzen recently returned after four weeks out with a calf strain to play help boost the Storm with two wins over the Eels and the Brisbane Broncos.
Papenhuyzen scored against the Broncos and was back to his best having combined with Harry Grant and Cameron Munster as the Storm look to chase down the Canberra Raiders for the minor premiership. Fans were excited for a battle of the in-form fullbacks this week with Dylan Edwards and Papenhuyzen set for a tantalising showdown.
Ryan Papenhuyzen (pictured far right) has been ruled out for the Storm’s grand final rematch with the Panthers, while the Warriors did not name Jett Cleary in the halves to take on the Dragons this weekend. (Images: Getty Images)
Although Craig Bellamy surprised fans having left Papenhuyzen off the team sheet with confirmation the 27-year-old suffered a concussion. Papenhuyzen didn’t go off for a HIA against the Broncos last Thursday, which suggests he either suffered delayed concussion symptoms or he suffered the incident during training this week.
Nick Meaney has been named in the side at fullback and will take on the task of helping the Storm maintain their winning ways with a loss having the potential of seeing them drop behind the Bulldogs to third.
Papenhuyzen’s absence is a blow for the Storm who are dealing with a number of injuries to the side. The biggest is the loss of Jahrome Hughes. The reigning Dally M medallist dislocated his shoulder in the game against the Eels and was set to miss the remainder of the regular season.
While there has been speculation Hughes could make a return earlier, Bellamy attempted to quell expectations. “I don’t think we’re any wiser than we were last week,” he said about Hughes’ return.
“He seems to be coming on pretty well and the physios are happy with the way he’s coming on, so hopefully we’ll get him back sooner rather than later. I’d just love to see him play a game before the finals to be quite honest, so we’ll just see how that goes. We’ve got four weeks before the finals now, so we’ll just see what happens.”
In good news for the Storm, Bellamy could welcome back prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona after he was named on the extended bench. The forward played in the Queensland Cup last week following a two-week suspension. While Bellamy had his hand forced with the change to the fullback role, Warriors coach Andrew Webster opted against making changes after speculation mounted Cleary would be named in the No.7 jersey.
Ryan Papenhuyzen will miss this week for the Storm due to concussion – no HIA for him in Round 23 so potentially delayed symptoms since or training incident.
Will have to pass through NRL’s concussion protocols with associated 11 day stand down – worth noting Papenhuyzen missed… pic.twitter.com/eHMZUSBLt8
— NRL PHYSIO (@nrlphysio) August 12, 2025
Jett Cleary left out of struggling Warriors outfit
Nathan Cleary’s brother, Jett, has been in sensational form for the Warriors in the NSW Cup this year. The Warriors are yet to lose a game the No.7 has started having gone undefeated across eight games. Three weeks ago, Cleary led the Warriors to a 68-6 win over the Rabbitohs having scored two tries and set-up anther two.
His form led to speculation Cleary was in line to make his NRL debut for the Warriors after a form slump in recent games. The Warriors were sitting pretty in the top four this year, until the season-ending injury of Luke Metcalf rocked the side.
Jett Cleary (pictured) won’t make his NRL debut for the Warriors this weekend.
Webster has since made a number of changes to his halves as he looks to stop the poor run of form. The Warriors have been leapfrogged by the Penrith Panthers and lost their spot in the NRL’s top-four after a disastrous 32-14 loss to Canterbury.
To make matters worse, Te Maire Martin copped a head knock after just 23 minutes and was deemed to have suffered a category-one concussion, ruling him out of the Dragons clash. There were calls for Cleary to come into the side due to his form in NSW Cup.
However, Webster refrained from handing Cleary his debut having recalled Tanah Boyd to the side. Boyd was dropped against the Bulldogs, but has bounced back up to the NRL in a vital game for the Warriors.
JETT STALLED: Despite speculation Warriors young-gun Jett Cleary could be named for the club’s injury-hit #NRL lineup this week, the yet-to-debut younger brother of Panthers star Nathan has been named in the Warriors’ #NSWCup side again this week.
— League Unlimited – NRL and rugby league (@LeagueUnlimited) August 12, 2025
While he didn’t get named, Joel Caine and Bryan Fletcher both claimed he should get a crack against the Dragons. “Well he went Jersey Flegg Cup, was too good for Flegg, and went NSW Cup…flying, throw the kid in,” Fletcher said.
However, it appears Webster listened to Warriors assistant coach David Tangata-Toa who last week flagged that Cleary still has some work to do in regards to playing against men and bigger humans than he’s accustomed to. “He’s developing really nicely and no doubt there’s NRL in the future,” he told Sport Nation NZ. “There’s some challenges around him playing against bigger bodies and older men.”