The Storm will be sweating on scans for hapless star Ryan Papenhuyzen, who limped off with an ankle injury during Melbourne’s 22-20 win over the Titans.
Papenhuyzen was left feeling uncomfortable as he left the ground, with Fox League’s Niko Pajarillo reporting that the Storm believe the full-back has suffered a high ankle sprain and will undergo scans on Sunday.
It was an entertaining and at times controversial match at Cbus Super Stadium, with Gold Coast fighting back from 20-6 down to level the score at 20 in the 55th minute.
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A Nick Meaney penalty goal in the 68th minute proved the difference in the match, with the Storm holding off the Titans and escaping with a seventh win.
The Storm’s victory was sealed when they were awarded a questionable penalty after the Bunker wrongly ruled that Titans winger Jojo Fifita had committed an illegal strip on Nick Meaney, despite the Storm center trying to offload.
The call angered Titans skipper Kieran Foran, as well as Fox League’s James Graham.
“Whoever is in the Bunker has clearly never played a game of rugby league in their life. There is no attempt at stripping,” Graham said in a commentary.
Foran tried to plead his case to referee Belinda Sharpe, saying: “He’s trying to offload the ball… how can you consider that a strip. You can’t do it.”
After the Titans scored the opening try, Melbourne scored 20 unanswered points at the end of the first half, with Cam Munster going over with 200 gamers, Papenhuyzen scoring one and exciting youngster Sua Fa’alogo in just his second NRL match.
The Titans scored a try through Phil Sami before half-time to give the home side a sniff.
Gold Coast then made it 20 through a Brian Kelly penalty goal, with the match turning into a defensive battle for the rest of the time.
Melbourne would still find a way to win despite not scoring a try in the final 46 minutes.
WHAT WE LEARNED:
HE’S THE REAL DEAL
He burst onto the scene late last season with a sparkling debut, and in his first taste of NRL action in 2024, rising star Sua Fa’alogo showed why he is so highly regarded.
Fa’alogo was not named in the original Storm squad, but came into the team to start on the wing.
Fa’alogo scored a brilliant solo try off a scrum feed, catching a ball off the first receiver, and although he had to beat two defenders, he eventually did so with ease, sending the Gold Coast defenders into the grabbed air.
“It’s his second NRL game and he’s got the guts to do it,” James Graham said on Fox League.
“This guy has to be on the team somewhere.”
“He dazzles, he deceives, he fascinates the Titans defense,” Andrew Voss said.
‘Melbourne has found a whole nugget [of gold] in digging up this boy.”
Not long after scoring that try, Fa’alogo moved to fullback after Ryan Papenhuyzen left the match with an ankle injury.
With Papenhuyzen likely to miss some time, Fa’alogo will likely be heavily relied upon.
The 19-year-old himself would leave the field for a HIA, which he passed.
MUCH BETTER THAN THE FORM GUIDE RECOMMENDED
The Titans may be penultimate on the premiership ladder with just one win, but the Gold Coast side certainly aren’t playing like a 16th-place team.
The Titans gave one of the NRL premiership favorites in Melbourne all they could handle for 80 minutes to continue their recent run of good form.
In the past three weeks, Des HAsler’s men dropped a heartbreaker in golden point to the Raiders, defeated the Warriors in New Zealand and then came within two points of the Storm.
AJ Brimson was again productive for the home side, running for 136 metres, recording five tackles, two line breaks per try and a try assist.
The returning Phil Sami was also excellent (210 metres, eight tackle busts), while Origin star David Fifita proved to be a handful all night (12 tackle busts, three offloads).
Next week the Titans will take their shot at their second win of the season when they take on the hot and cold Cowboys.
LUCKLESS STORM STAR’S INJURY CARE
Storm superstar Ryan Papenhuyzen left the field clutching his right leg after his leg jerked while trying to tackle Titans fullback AJ Brimson.
Gun No. 1’s leg could be seen being stuck into the turf after his studs got stuck, causing him visible pain.
Papenhuyzen tried to run away from the pain, but could not continue and limped off the field with a grimace on his face.
“It’s the right leg, it takes a lot of effort to chase the ball and as soon as he gets up there he grabs it… it must be a sharp pain,” Cooper Cronk said.
“I’m trying not to guess, but it could be a small tear. You don’t react like that unless it’s a sharp pain.”
According to Storm, Papenhuyzen will go for scans on Sunday and the team believes that it is a high ankle sprain for the full-back.
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