Sua Fa'alogo's breakout performance made Ryan Papenhuyzen question his place at Melbourne, after Fa'alogo scored twice and assisted five line breaks in a 52-4 victory.
Watching from New Zealand, Papenhuyzen admitted, "as much as i wanted to go to bed and not see the result, I stayed up and watched the first half and pretty soon after that game I realised they didn't need me".
He later wondered whether "I was the problem", particularly after consecutive grand-final defeats, saying his "ego taking a hit" made him wish he was playing.
Papenhuyzen retired after the 2025 season following repeated serious injuries and concussions, including a final-round head knock against Brisbane.
Papenhuyzen said, "I think the head knock in the last round against Brisbane, that was sort of like, 'what are you doing?', and that encouraged the decision in the end.
Speaking on Nine's Freddy and The Eighth, he described his first year away as "been a different year" and said he was "content" with retiring.
He compared the transition to "finished school again", while taking a golf-caddying job and trying to "get away from it completely."
The former fullback made 113 appearances for Melbourne, scoring 77 tries and winning the 2020 premiership's Clive Churchill Medal.
Although R360 speculation once suggested a move to rugby union, Papenhuyzen waited until Melbourne's season ended before announcing his decision.
He acknowledged he "Probably didn't go about it the best way..." by messaging teammates, adding that he would handle it differently.