Ryan Papenhuyzen trades boots for books as the Storm search for perfection in the finals

The ability to read the play is a non-negotiable for fullbacks these days in both defence and attack, but it’s a different kind of reading that has proved invaluable for Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen, who has studied up on the eve of the finals.

The 26-year-old is the first to tell you that books were an afterthought for him during school, but that mindset changed dramatically after just a couple of years in the NRL as he realised the mental side of things was just as important as the physical part of the game.

Papenhuyzen already has all the tools to be an elite fullback, but he has spent the past few years sharpening his mind, with the 2020 Clive Churchill Medal winner turning to books while battling injuries in recent times.

“I reckon if you asked me if I’d read a book at school, I probably have said no,” he told the NewsWire at the launch of the NRL finals series in Sydney.

“It was when I got Covid in 2020 or 2021 when I really started to get into it. The first book was probably Rich Dad Poor Dad and then I really got motivated to reading more.

“I was injured at the time so physically there wasn’t much I could do, and that’s why I decided to work on myself mentally.

“I had a lot of time to sit down and read and draw inspiration from books. I feel it’s a different level you can go to as a player, and while the physical side of things got taken away from me, I worked on my mental game and ideas from books.”

Papenhuyzen is one of the game’s deep thinkers and often posts philosophical questions and thoughts to his social media followers.

He’s currently reading Man’s Search for Meaning as well as The Culture Code, while there are several other books he’ll turn to for inspiration ahead of Melbourne’s clash with Cronulla for a spot in the preliminary final.

“A Chimp Paradox is a good one because it’s all about the different systems in your brain and how you can switch from them and tap into different parts of your brain,” he said.

“That one got me into the psychological side of things, but then I’ve gone to financial books and leadership books where the common theme is to have a purpose and to know what your values and beliefs are.

“If you can do that then you’ll generally be happy. If you’re happy then you’ll do good things.

“It’s that time of the year where you want to see if there’s anything you can grab out of those books that you can then apply to the squad and help other people.

“I really want to learn about how I can be a good leader going into these finals. If you can do that and lead from the front then guys will follow and hopefully that all contributes to better performances and better results.”

Critical thinking has allowed Papenhuyzen to see the game through a different lens this year, with the flashy fullback and his teammates not settling for good when they strive to be great.

It’s why the minor premiers were filthy with their clunky attack in the win over Souths in round 23, with their game plan looking completely different the following week when they beat the premiers in Penrith.

“The good thing about having losses or wins that you’re not happy with is that you address them and try to things you can be better at,” Papenhuyzen explained.

“If you go back to 2021, we were quite dominant and were winning games by 40 but that meant we weren’t addressing the little things.

“We got to the finals and got found out, but this year we’ve been in different situations and have learnt things about what’s best for the team.

“We’ve had conversations about what’s best for the side and what we need to do in certain minutes of the game, and I think that Souths game was a turning point for our combinations and our game plan as a whole.

“It’s funny because you’re filthy after those games, but after you sit down and have those tough conversations, you figure out pretty quickly what went wrong and how we can fix it.”