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Papenhuyzen's 28 points in big Storm win

3 minute read

Ryan Papenhuyzen has scored four tries as Melbourne gave Canterbury a lesson in attack, thrashing the Bulldogs 44-0 in the NRL match at AAMI Park.

RYAN PAPENHUYZEN.
RYAN PAPENHUYZEN. Picture: Matt King/Getty Images

Melbourne's Ryan Papenhuyzen was back to his electric best with the flying mullet terrorising Canterbury in a thumping 44-0 NRL victory.

Superstar fullback Papenhuyzen scored four tries, with his six conversions making for a personal haul of 28 points - his highest ever at AAMI Park - on Sunday.

But he wasn't alone with the Storm running in eight unanswered tries in a commanding display with the defensive effort pleasing coach Craig Bellamy as much as the haul.

Papenhuyzen missed 10 weeks last year with concussion symptoms and while the 23-year-old managed to play out the season, wasn't quite at back to his best.

There was no doubting that against the Bulldogs.

"I don't know if he's even gone a little bit past last year these last couple of games," Bellamy said.

"He didn't have a great pre- season - he rolled his ankle and probably didn't run for eight weeks but he spent a fair time in the gym there and he's probably a little bit of weight on and it doesn't look like it's affected his pace or his agility.

"He's taking a big hand in deciding where the ball goes and when it goes so he's playing with plenty of confidence."

Three Storm tries came within 10 minutes in the second half when Papenhuyzen grabbed his third in the 51st minute after he finished a length of the field break by Jahrome Hughes, who scooped up Bulldogs five-eighth Matt Burton's grubber on the last tackle.

Newly re-signed winger Xavier Coates repeated the feat, dashing 90 metres, when an errant Burton pass bumped off the shoulder of Jake Averillo.

And then two minutes later, second rower Felise Kaufusi got in on the try-scoring action.

The Bulldogs boasted the second-best defensive record leading into the round, only conceding 33 points in three matches rounds, but the Storm blew past that midway through the second half.

Of equal concern for the visitors was their inability to get across the tryline themselves.

They had 61 per cent of possession in the first half and had three sets of six in the opening 20 minutes camped on Melbourne's line but never really looked like scoring.

Former Storm flyer Josh Addo-Carr came closest but Papenhuyzen and Hughes stopped him from grounding the ball.

Canterbury coach Trent Barrett said the defensive effort was "really disappointing".

He felt it came off their inability to score early.

"We had we had a lot of ball early in the first half and we needed to come away at some points there in that first 15 minutes," Barrett said.

"That'll take some pressure off your defence and give our side a bit of confidence.

"We didn't take our chances and they did and then defensively, decisions under pressure when we're tired.

"We've been up for three weeks and we got found out today."

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