NSW coach Brad Fittler has revealed he will seek out Storm coach Craig Bellamy for a conversation about Ryan Papenhuyzen before deciding whether or not to hand the sidelined fullback a Blues debut.
Earlier this season Papenhuyzen roared into the picture to be picked as an x-factor bench player after following up his Clive Churchill medal win in last year's grand final with some ridiculous form in the early rounds of 2020.
However, luck has turned against the young star, who returned from a shoulder injury in Magic Round, only to be knocked out by a high shot from Dragons back-rower Tyrell Fuimaono that looks likely to sideline him for next Thursday's clash with the Broncos, as well as Saturday's match against the Raiders.
Should that prove to be the case, Papenhuyzen will not get a final chance to lay his claim to a Blues selection, with Fittler to announce his side on Sunday May 30.
Already legendary NSW coach Phil Gould has warned against picking Papenhuyzen under the circumstances but speaking on Wide World of Sports' Freddy & The Eighth, Fittler made it clear he was still under consideration.
"He's had a tough couple of months. He's had a tough month," Fittler said.
"I'll speak to Craig Bellamy when (Nine covers the Storm-Broncos game). We've got until May 30. Everyone's [been selected in] pencil at the moment. Everyone's in lead, no ink."
Fittler added that Rabbitohs star Cody Walker was still right in the mix for selection despite being forced out of his preferred position to cover for the suspended Latrell Mitchell at fullback over the past month.
Walker's shift into the No.1 jersey will come to an end for this Sunday's blockbuster match-up with the Panthers due to Mitchell's return and Fittler hinted that the five-eighth had a big fortnight ahead with the Blues No.6 jersey and a bench spot both still up for grabs.
"Cody, he was on the bench in Adelaide (for last year's 18-14 Game One loss)," Fittler said.
"The times he's come on in the second half, even the first time he come on he had a massive impact. So Cody's, even at five-eighth…"
Mat Thompson: "So you're still talking about him?"
Fittler: "Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. The combinations there with him and Cooky and Latrell…
"So especially if there are injuries in the next couple of weeks combinations become much more important. We sort of have a good idea of what we're looking for at the moment and then you just sort of hold your breath."
After starting on the bench for last year's series-opener, Cook was promoted to the starting side for the series-squaring Game Two victory at ANZ Stadium and again for the series deciding loss in Game Three.
He played alongside Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary in both those games but with Jarome Luai in blistering club form alongside the Dally M leading No.7 there have been widespread calls for the pair to be picked together at Origin level.
With Fittler still clearly toying with his key combinations, Sunday's match in Dubbo takes on added meaning.
Should Walker miss out on the No.6 jersey he would become a leading candidate for the No.14 role, which he was given for the first time in Adelaide last year, having also impressed late in the game in his Origin debut in 2019, when he was hauled from the field after starting at five-eighth but came back on for the last 10 minutes as the Blues launched a forlorn effort to snatch a come-from-behind win.
While Walker is in the picture for a bench role, NSW legend and occasional halves coach Andrew Johns prefers Papenhuyzen, having already picked Raiders five-eighth Jack Wighton to wear the No.6 jersey alongside Cleary.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.