โWe will miss seeing it if he hangs the boots up.โ
Papenhuyzenโs raw confession โ in which he said he was โrattledโ and left wondering at โwhat costโ does he continue to play โ comes at a time when the NRL is desperate to crack down on concussion issues, particularly following the horrific incident involving Eliesa Katoa.
The Storm forward will miss the entire 2026 season, having suffered a brain bleed from multiple head knocks before and during a clash for Tonga against New Zealand in the Pacific Championships.
Felise Kaufusi (left) has paid tribute to Ryan Papenhuyzen (right), and called for players to consider concerns around head trauma more seriously.
Intervention from independent doctors throughout contests has polarised pundits, with some arguing there was too much interference โ particularly in cases where players are found to not be concussed after assessment.
โWeโve seen the stuff that went on with Eli Katoa as well which is really extreme. It definitely opened my mind a bit more, even me growing up I was like โwhatโs a head knock? Iโll be right, just let me get back onโ.
โI think thatโs just the adrenaline in the footy sense, and it needs to come from a source outside to just take it out of our own hands.
โYou think itโs just a little knock, you want to be there out playing and donโt want to miss games for it, but in the long run โ especially when you start to have families โ youโve got to think outside.
โFooty only lasts 10 years if youโre lucky, and then youโve got the rest of your life to live. Itโs the brain, you canโt study that until youโre a carcass, so definitely a lot of importance needs to go into it.โ
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