So recently there has been talk about Papenhuyzen leaving Melbourne (Which I don't think will ever happen) but what I have noticed is a few articles/podcasts saying maybe going back to Parramatta as he was a junior there could be a good story. From my understanding, he was born in Kellyville, played for Kellyville and Hills District but never played for any Parramatta representative teams e.g. SG Ball/Harold Matthews. There was a story I read where he said he was offered a trial which he accepted, but his dad/him turned down a contract as he wanted to stay with Dundas Shamrocks, he then played for Balmain SG/Harold Matts and Wests Tigers Under 20s. As far as I am concerned he is a Balmain junior as he played all his significant junior rugby league with them
I don't consider someone who is 9-10 year old having fun with their mates on the weekend at Kellyville/Hills District to being a Parramatta junior, its only if you make the SG Ball/Harold Matthews teams does it become serious. I think sometimes the media if they want to put shit on our club they say "This guy was a Parramatta junior or this player was" just to make us feel bad about our situation, similar to Haumole Olakau'atu, the media sometimes say he was a Parramatta junior, he never played for SG Ball/Harold Matts with us, he said he went to the trials but was rejected, he played most of his junior rugby league at Manly as they signed him as a teenager.
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That's all correct but don't worry too much about the media. Eels sell papers and we cop all the stories. It's frustrating but it is what it is.
exactly ...we sell papers and so long as the media can maintain our narrative as one of the lost causes of the NRL ...it will continue to happen true or otherwise....SMH
What would be next to his name if he played origin
TBH, Paps will struggle without that big pack in front of him. I think there was some legs in the rumour they were looking to offload him to bolster the Storm's forward pack. He doesn't have the frame of a Tedesco so relies on speed, but that needs a solid platform to play off. What the Storm currently have ain't it. Would he do any better anywhere else? Maybe the Bronco's, possibly us if we have Junior actually earning his pay packet!
Don't let the truth stand in the way of a good story - that's the motto of most NRL journalists.
Having said that I don't think there would be many teams who wouldn't take Paps in a heartbeat, including Parra.