LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Ryan Papenhuyzen has made a strong case for the NSW fullback position after an outstanding performance against the Wests Tigers, overshadowing Dylan Edwards.
Reports indicate that while Edwards had a subdued outing in his match against the Cowboys, Papenhuyzen dazzled, scoring a hat-trick by halftime, the first being a stunning solo effort where he gathered the ball in broken play, kicked ahead, evaded defenders, and scored.
At half-time, he had amassed three tries, 99 running metres, and three tackle breaks.
"You never expect that in a game," Papenhuyzen remarked on Fox Sports.
"You come to games with no expectation, play footy and we're playing really good.
I feel like we've done some stuff at training this week to get us up." His performance did not stop there; he converted 10 tries, netting a total of 36 points, surpassing the previous club record set by Mark Geyer in 1999.
The match ended in a colossal 64-0 victory for Melbourne, marking the largest margin in the club's history.
Remarkably, this was the third time in Papenhuyzen's career that he scored four tries in a game, bringing his total to 12 for the season and placing him at the top of the 2025 try-scoring leaderboard.
Meanwhile, Edwards, despite running for 190 metres, had a quieter performance than anticipated ahead of State of Origin selection, leaving the fullback race wide open.
Papenhuyzen's exceptional display has undoubtedly strengthened his claim for the NSW No.1 jersey.